# shitting

/ˈʃɪtɪŋ/ (US) · /ʃˈɪtɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shitting
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to defecate

verb · CEFR C2 · Vulgar

to pass solid waste from the body.

For teachers: to defecate. Highly vulgar; restricted to extremely informal or aggressive contexts.

- The dog was shitting on the neighbor's lawn again.
- The stray animals were shitting in the alleyway, creating a significant hygiene problem for the local residents.

Usage: Intransitive in this literal sense.

### 3. the act of defecating

noun · CEFR C2 · Vulgar

the act of going to the toilet.

For teachers: the act of defecation.

- He spent twenty minutes in the bathroom shitting.
- The patient complained of pain during shitting, which prompted the doctor to order further tests.

Usage: Gerundial use of the verb acting as a noun.

### 4. intensifier

adjective · CEFR C2 · Vulgar · Slang

used to emphasize how much you dislike something or how angry you are.

For teachers: used as a profane intensifier to add emotional emphasis to a statement, similar to 'fucking'.

- I can't believe this shitting car won't start again.
- He was tired of the shitting weather ruining every single weekend they had planned outdoors.

Usage: Attributive adjective; always placed before the noun it modifies.

## Examples

- The dog is shitting on the grass.
- He was so sick that he spent the entire night shitting and vomiting in the bathroom.
- The crude graffiti depicted a politician shitting on a map of the country, a blunt and vulgar metaphor for the perceived mismanagement of national resources.

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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.