shed

Universal Words noun, verb noun (often in compounds) 1 a small simple building, usually built of wood or metal, used for keeping things in: a bicycle / tool shed * (BrE) a garden shed 2 (BrE) a large industrial building, used for working in or keeping equipment: an engine shed seealsoCOWSHED, POTTINGSHED, WOODSHED verb (shedding, shed, shed) [VN] get rid of 1 (often used in newspapers) to get rid of sth that is no longer wanted: The factory is shedding a large number of jobs. * a quick way to shed unwanted pounds (= extra weight or fat on your body) * Museums have been trying hard to shed their stuffy image. drop 2 (formal) to let sth fall; to drop sth: Luke shed his clothes onto the floor. * A duck's feathers shed water immediately. 3 (BrE) (of a vehicle) to lose or drop what it is carrying: The traffic jam was caused by a lorry shedding its load. skin / leaves 4 if an animal sheds its skin, or a plant sheds leaves, it loses them naturally: How often does a snake shed its skin? * trees that shed their leaves in autumn light 5 ~ sth (on / over sb/sth) to send light over sth; to let light fall somewhere: The candles shed a soft glow on her face. tears 6 (formal or literary) if you shed tears, you cry: She shed no tears when she heard he was dead. blood 7 (formal) if you shed blood, you kill or injure people, especially in a war: How much blood will be shed before the fighting ends? seealsoBLOODSHED IDIOMS see LIGHTn.