1
: a garment for the upper part of the body: such as
a
: a cloth garment usually having a collar, sleeves, a front opening, and a tail long enough to be tucked inside trousers or a skirt
2
: all or a large part of one's money or resources
lost his shirt on that business deal
shirtless adjective

Examples of shirt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In just under three years’ time, however, fans will see Nike’s trademark ticks, not the three stripes of Adidas, on the shirts of Germany’s national teams. Anna Cooban, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 The camp was held on the outdoor courts at Robert Morris University, where players were divided into two teams: shirts and skins. Billy Witz, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Donald is wearing a blue shirt with yellow stripes, a blue and black hat, and a red bow tie. Sari Hitchins, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024 Another officer dragged a man in a plaid shirt and dark pants, lying face down and bleeding heavily from the head, from the curb into the street and handcuffed him. Cindy Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Roughly 30 people wearing red shirts and veils staged a silent performance, scattering fabric petals bearing the names of Gazans killed by Israel’s military. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Wearing a silver, shimmery dress, Hurley stood next to her lookalike son, who wore a navy satin shirt and black trousers. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Liu walked the red carpet in modern suiting from Fendi, swapping the traditional button-down and tie for a low-neck shirt. Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 Los Angeles streets were painted with a grayish-white coating to reflect sunlight and keep air temperatures cooler – just like a light shirt will keep you cooler than a dark one in the hot summer sun. Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shirt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English shirte, from Old English scyrte; akin to Old Norse skyrta shirt, Old English scort short

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shirt was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shirt

Cite this Entry

“Shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shirt. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shirt

noun
1
: a garment for the upper part of the body usually with a collar, sleeves, a front opening, and a tail long enough to be tucked inside pants or a skirt
2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!