What does "shave" mean?

1. (to remove hair) to cut hair off your face or body very close to the skin using a razor or electric tool. 2. (to cut thin slices) to cut very thin pieces off the surface of something, like wood or food. 3. (to reduce slightly) to reduce a total amount, price, or time by a small margin. 4. (act of cutting hair) the act of cutting hair off the skin. 5. (a narrow escape) a situation where you only just avoid an accident or a problem.

shave

v. · n.

US //ˈʃeɪv// UK //ʃˈeɪv// shave

1 to remove hair (v.)
A2 Elementary

to cut hair off your face or body very close to the skin using a razor or electric tool.

to remove hair from the body by cutting it close to the skin with a razor or clippers. Often used intransitively when referring to the face.

Example

He decided to shave his beard before the job interview.

Example

After years of sporting a full beard, he decided to shave completely, revealing a much younger-looking face to his surprised family.
- trim
- crop
- grow
2 to cut thin slices (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Cooking

to cut very thin pieces off the surface of something, like wood or food.

to remove thin slices or layers from the surface of a material, typically using a sharp blade.

Example

The chef used a sharp knife to shave thin pieces of parmesan over the pasta.

Example

The carpenter had to shave a few millimetres off the bottom of the door to ensure it would close smoothly over the new carpet.
- slice
- pare
- sliver

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3 to reduce slightly (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to reduce a total amount, price, or time by a small margin.

to reduce a value, cost, or duration by a small increment. Often used in the context of competitive sports or financial budgeting.

Example

The runner managed to shave two seconds off her personal best time.

Example

By switching to a more efficient supplier, the company was able to shave five percent off its annual production costs.
- increase
- add
4 act of cutting hair (n.)
A2 Elementary

the act of cutting hair off the skin.

the act or process of removing hair with a razor.

Example

He went to the barber for a professional shave and a haircut.

Example

A hot towel before a shave helps to soften the hair and prevent skin irritation.
5 a narrow escape (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

a situation where you only just avoid an accident or a problem.

a narrow miss or a situation where disaster was barely averted. Almost exclusively used in the idiom 'a close shave'.

Example

That car nearly hit us—it was a very close shave.

Example

The pilot admitted it had been a close shave when the engine sputtered just as the aircraft cleared the mountain ridge.
- near miss
- close call

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English shaven, schaven, from Old English sċafan (“to shave, scrape, shred, polish”), from Proto-West Germanic skaban, from Proto-Germanic skabaną (“to scrape”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to cut, split, form, carve”). Cognate with West Frisian skave, Dutch schaven, Low German schaven, German schaben, Danish skave, Norwegian Nynorsk skava, Swedish skava, Icelandic skafa, Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (skaban), all roughly “to scrape, chafe, shave, plane, remove the outer lay of”.

Etymology 2

From Middle English shave, from Old English sceafa, from Proto-Germanic *skabô.

Idioms2 entries