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Shave Very Common

Shave has 9 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Verb

Definitions
Noun
1

the act of removing hair with a razor

"He carefully shaved his beard every morning before going to work."

2

An instance of shaving.

"His morning shave left his skin feeling smooth and clean."

Verb
1

remove body hair with a razor

"He carefully shaves his face every morning before work."

2

cut closely

"trim my beard"

3

cut the price of

"The manager decided to shave $5 off the total bill to encourage a quick sale."

4

cut or remove with or as if with a plane

"The machine shaved off fine layers from the piece of wood"

5

make shavings of or reduce to shavings

"shave the radish"

6

touch the surface of lightly

"His back shaved the counter in passing"

7

To make bald or shorter by using a tool such as a razor or pair of electric clippers to cut the hair close to the skin.

"He decided to shave his head before starting his new job."

In plain English: To shave means to use a razor or blade to cut off hair from your skin.

"He decided to shave his beard before going on vacation."

Usage: Use "shave" specifically for removing facial, head, or body hair with a blade; avoid it when referring only to trimming longer hair on the scalp without exposing the skin. In casual contexts, "shave off" often implies cutting away something non-hair-related, such as weight or costs.

Example Sentences
"He decided to shave his beard before going on vacation." verb
"He shaved his beard before leaving for work today." verb
"I need to shave my legs after taking a long swim in the ocean." verb
"The chef used an electric shaver to trim the excess fat off the meat." verb
See Also
razor burn blade shaving shaves shaven pogonotomy barbering thin
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
depilation groom cut reduce carve graze
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
tonsure razor fleece mark down skive

Origin

The word "shave" comes from Old English sċafan, which originally meant to scrape or polish. It traveled into modern usage with its current meaning related to removing hair by cutting it close to the skin.

Rhyming Words
ave aave rave mave fave gave eave dave wave pave save nave bave cave have lave drave knave soave quave
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