ENGLISH
REFERENCE

shirt

n. · v.
US //ˈʃɝt// UK //ʃˈɜːt// shirt
  1. 1 clothing (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a piece of clothing for the top half of your body, often with a collar and buttons.

    a garment worn on the upper body, typically made of cotton or similar fabric and featuring a collar and sleeves.

    Example

    He wore a clean white shirt and a tie for his job interview.

    Example

    The tailor recommended a breathable linen shirt for the outdoor summer wedding to ensure the groom remained comfortable in the heat.
  2. 2 sports team (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Sport

    a person on a team that wears shirts during a casual game.

    a member of the team wearing jerseys or shirts in an informal 'shirts and skins' match.

    Example

    The players split into two groups: the shirts and the skins.

    Example

    Since we didn't have bibs for the football match, the captain decided that our side would be the shirts.
Show 1 more senseShow fewer
  1. 3 to dress (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Literary

    to put a shirt on someone or something.

    to clothe or cover with a shirt; often used figuratively or in literary contexts.

    Example

    The mother carefully shirted her young son before the family photo.

    Example

    The poet described the mountains as being shirted in a thick layer of morning mist.
    • unshirt
Etymology 1

From Middle English sherte, shurte, schirte, from Old English sċyrte (“a short garment; skirt; kirtle”), from Proto-West Germanic skurtijā, from Proto-Germanic skurtijǭ (“a short garment, skirt, apron”), from *skurtaz (“short”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Schoarte (“apron”), Dutch schort (“apron”), German Schürze (“apron”), Danish skjorte (“shirt”), Norwegian skjorte (“shirt”), Swedish skjorta (“shirt”), Faroese skjúrta (“shirt”), Icelandic skyrta (“shirt”). Doublet of skirt via Old Norse; further related to short.

Etymology 2

From Middle English sherten, shirten (also shorten), from the noun (see above).

Word family
Idioms4 entries

© 2026 English Reference