relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
"it is much cooler in the shade"
"there's too much shadiness to take good photographs"
protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight
"they used umbrellas as shades"
"as the sun moved he readjusted the shade"
a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
"without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"
"don't argue about shades of meaning"
a position of relative inferiority
"an achievement that puts everything else in the shade"
"his brother's success left him in the shade"
a representation of the effect of shadows in a picture or drawing (as by shading or darker pigment)
"The artist added delicate shades to the sketch to create depth and highlight where the light did not reach."
a protective ornamental covering for a lamp, used to screen a light bulb from direct view
"The decorative paper shade softened the harsh glow of the ceiling lamp."
Darkness where light, particularly sunlight, is blocked.
"The children ran into the cool shade of the large oak tree to escape the hot sun."
In plain English: A shade is an area of darkness created by something blocking out light, such as under a tree on a sunny day.
"We sat in the shade to escape the hot sun."
Usage: Use shade to describe an area of darkness created by blocking direct sunlight or other strong light sources, such as under a tree or inside a room with curtains. Do not confuse this physical covering from the sun with the verb meaning to color something darker.
protect from light, heat, or view
"Shade your eyes when you step out into the bright sunlight"
pass from one quality such as color to another by a slight degree
"the butterfly wings shade to yellow"
To shield from light.
"She pulled her hat down low to shade her eyes from the bright sun."
A surname.
"Mr. Shade was elected to represent his district in the city council."
The word "shade" comes from the Old English sċeadu, which originally meant both a dark area and protection from light. This term traveled into Middle English as schade before evolving into its modern form with essentially the same meaning it held in ancient times.