4 N‑COUNT If you have a shower , you wash yourself by standing under a spray of water from a shower. □ I think I'll have a shower before dinner. □ She took two showers a day.
5 VERB If you shower , you wash yourself by standing under a spray of water from a shower. □ [V ] There wasn't time to shower or change clothes.
6 N‑COUNT A shower is a short period of rain, especially light rain. □ There'll be bright or sunny spells and scattered showers this afternoon.
7 N‑COUNT You can refer to a lot of things that are falling as a shower of them. □ [+ of ] Showers of sparks flew in all directions.
8 VERB [usu passive] If you are showered with a lot of small objects or pieces, they are scattered over you. □ [be V -ed + with ] They were showered with rice in the traditional manner.
9 VERB If you shower a person with presents or kisses, you give them a lot of presents or kisses in a very generous and extravagant way. □ [V n + with ] He showered her with emeralds and furs. □ [V n + with ] Her parents showered her with kisses.
10 N‑COUNT A shower is a party or celebration at which the guests bring gifts. [mainly AM ] □ …a baby shower.
11 N‑SING [usu sing] If you refer to a group of people as a particular kind of shower , you disapprove of them. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [+ of ] …a shower of wasters.
sho w|er gel (shower gels ) N‑VAR Shower gel is a type of liquid soap designed for use in the shower.
show|ery /ʃaʊ əri/ ADJ If the weather is showery , there are showers of rain but it does not rain all the time.
show|girl /ʃoʊ gɜː r l/ (showgirls ) N‑COUNT A showgirl is a young woman who sings and dances as part of a group in a musical show.
show|ground /ʃoʊ graʊnd/ (showgrounds ) N‑COUNT A showground is a large area of land where events such as farming shows or horse riding competitions are held.
sho w jump|er (show jumpers ) N‑COUNT A show jumper is a person who takes part in the sport of show jumping. □ I loved horses as a child and was a junior show jumper.
sho w jump|ing also showjumping N‑UNCOUNT Show jumping is a sport in which horses are ridden in competitions to demonstrate their skill in jumping over fences and walls.
show|man /ʃoʊ mæn/ (showmen ) N‑COUNT A showman is a person who is very entertaining and dramatic in the way that they perform, or the way that they present things.
show|man|ship /ʃoʊ mənʃ I p/ N‑UNCOUNT Showmanship is a person's skill at performing or presenting things in an entertaining and dramatic way.
shown /ʃoʊ n/ Shown is the past participle of show .
sho w-off (show-offs ) also showoff N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a show-off , you are criticizing them for trying to impress people by showing in a very obvious way what they can do or what they own. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
show|piece /ʃoʊ piːs/ (showpieces ) also show-piece N‑COUNT A showpiece is something that is admired because it is the best thing of its type, especially something that is intended to be impressive. □ [+ of ] The factory was to be a showpiece of Western investment in the East.
show|room /ʃoʊ ruːm/ (showrooms ) N‑COUNT [usu n N ] A showroom is a shop in which goods are displayed for sale, especially goods such as cars or electrical or gas appliances. □ …a car showroom.
show|stopper /ʃoʊ stɒpə r / (showstoppers ) also show-stopper N‑COUNT If something is a showstopper , it is very impressive. [INFORMAL , APPROVAL ] □ Her natural creativity and artistic talent make her home a real showstopper.
sho w-stopping also showstopping ADJ [ADJ n] A show-stopping performance or product is very impressive. [INFORMAL , APPROVAL ]
show|time /ʃoʊ ta I m/ N‑UNCOUNT Showtime is the time when a particular stage or television show starts. □ It's close to showtime now, so you retire into the dressing room.
sho w tri|al (show trials ) N‑COUNT People describe a trial as a show trial if they believe that the trial is unfair and is held for political reasons rather than in order to find out the truth. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [+ of ] …the show trials of political dissidents.
showy /ʃoʊ i/ (showier , showiest ) ADJ Something that is showy is very noticeable because it is large, colourful, or bright. □ Since he was color blind, he favored large, showy flowers.
shrank /ʃræ ŋk/ Shrank is the past tense of shrink .
shrap|nel /ʃræ pn ə l/ N‑UNCOUNT Shrapnel consists of small pieces of metal which are scattered from exploding bombs and shells. □ He was hit by shrapnel from a grenade.
shred /ʃre d/ (shreds , shredding , shredded )
1 VERB If you shred something such as food or paper, you cut it or tear it into very small, narrow pieces. □ [V n] They may be shredding documents. □ [V n] Finely shred the carrots, cabbage and cored apples.
2 N‑COUNT [usu pl] If you cut or tear food or paper into shreds , you cut or tear it into small, narrow pieces. □ Cut the cabbage into fine long shreds.
3 N‑COUNT If there is not a shred of something, there is not even a small amount of it. □ [+ of ] He said there was not a shred of evidence to support such remarks. □ [+ of ] There is not a shred of truth in the story.
shred|der /ʃre də r / (shredders ) N‑COUNT A shredder is a machine for shredding things such as documents or parts of bushes that have been cut off. □ …a document shredder.