# shirt

/ˈʃɝt/ (US) · /ʃˈɜːt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shirt
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. clothing

noun · CEFR A1

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

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

- He wore a clean white shirt and a tie for his job interview.
- The tailor recommended a breathable linen shirt for the outdoor summer wedding to ensure the groom remained comfortable in the heat.

### 2. sports team

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

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

- The players split into two groups: the shirts and the skins.
- Since we didn't have bibs for the football match, the captain decided that our side would be the shirts.

### 3. to dress

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary

to put a shirt on someone or something.

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

- The mother carefully shirted her young son before the family photo.
- The poet described the mountains as being shirted in a thick layer of morning mist.

## Examples

- He wears a white shirt to work every day.
- I need to iron my blue shirt before the job interview tomorrow morning.
- The tailor recommended a high-thread-count cotton for the bespoke shirt to ensure it remained breathable yet crisp throughout the summer wedding.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.