- shade
- [[t]ʃe͟ɪd[/t]]
♦♦♦1) N-COUNT: oft N of n, in N A shade of a particular colour is one of its different forms. For example, emerald green and olive green are shades of green.
In the mornings the sky appeared a heavy shade of mottled gray...
The walls were painted in two shades of green.
...new eyeshadows in a choice of 80 shades.
2) N-UNCOUNT: oft in the N Shade is an area of darkness under or next to an object such as a tree, where sunlight does not reach.Temperatures in the shade can reach forty-eight degrees celsius at this time of year...
Alexis walked up the coast, and resumed his reading in the shade of an overhanging cliff.
...exotic trees provide welcome shade.
3) VERB If you say that a place or person is shaded by objects such as trees, you mean that the place or person cannot be reached, harmed, or bothered by strong sunlight because those objects are in the way.[be V-ed] ...a health resort whose beaches are shaded by palm trees...
[be V-ed from n] Most plants prefer to be lightly shaded from direct, hot sunlight...
[V n] Umbrellas shade outdoor cafes along winding cobblestone streets.
Derived words:shaded ADJ-GRADED oft adv ADJThese plants will grow happily in a sunny or partially shaded spot.
4) VERB If you shade your eyes, you put your hand or an object partly in front of your face in order to prevent a bright light from shining into your eyes.[V n] You can't look directly into it; you've got to shade your eyes or close them altogether...
[V n from n] I had to stop at the traffic lights and put down the sun visor to shade my eyes from the light.
Syn:5) N-UNCOUNT Shade is darkness or shadows as they are shown in a picture....Rembrandt's skilful use of light and shade to create the atmosphere of movement.
Ant:...the capacity to convey subtle shades of meaning.
...literally dozens of newspapers of every shade of opinion.
7) VERB If something shades into something else, there is no clear division between the two things, so that you cannot tell where or when the first thing ends and the second thing begins.[V into n] As the dusk shaded into night, we drove slowly through narrow alleys...
[V to n] The tail feathers are dark blue at their bases, shading to pale blue at their tips.
8) N-PLURAL Shades are sunglasses. [INFORMAL]9) N-COUNT A shade is the same as a lampshade.10) N-COUNT A shade is a piece of stiff cloth or heavy paper that you can pull down over a window as a covering. [AM]Nancy left the shades down and the lights off.
Syn:(in BRIT, use blind)11) N-COUNT: usu N of n The shade of a dead person is their spirit, which is thought to be still alive in some way and in contact with the real world. [LITERARY]His writing benefits from the shade of Lincoln hovering over his shoulder.
12) → See also , shading13) PHRASE: PHR adj/adv/prep If you say that something is, for example, a shade unusual or a shade disappointing, you mean that it is slightly unusual or disappointing.The first two goals were a shade fortunate...
He found her charming, but perhaps just a shade too ingenuous for him...
The South is now only a shade behind the rest of the affluent United States.
Syn:a little14) PHRASE (approval) If you say that there is light and shade in something such as a performance, you mean you like it because different parts of it are different in tone or mood. [WRITTEN]...a faltering, artless voice that is pleasant enough, if rather lacking in light and shade.
15) PHRASE: V inflects To put someone or something in the shade means to be so impressive that the person or thing seems unimportant by comparison....a run that put every other hurdler's performance in the shade.
English dictionary. 2008.
