shave

1. [intransitive and transitive] to cut off hair very close to the skin, especially from the face, using a razor:
   • He hadn’t shaved for days.
   • Brian had cut himself shaving.
  shave your head/legs/armpits etc
   • She shaved her legs and underarms.
2. [transitive] to remove very thin pieces from the surface of something:
   • Shave thin strips of cheese over the pasta.
shave something ↔ off phrasal verb
  1. to remove hair by shaving:
   • I’ve decided to shave off my beard.
  2. (also shave something off something) to remove very thin pieces from the surface of something, using a knife or other cutting tool:
   • I had to shave a few millimetres off the bottom of the door to make it shut.
  3. (also shave something off something) if you shave a small amount off something such as a price or a record, you make the price slightly smaller or the record time slightly shorter:
   • She shaved half a second off the world record.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

shave

shave [shave shaves shaved shaving] verb, noun [ʃeɪv] [ʃeɪv]

verb

1. intransitive, transitive to cut hair from the skin, especially the face, using a razor

• Mike cut himself shaving.

• ~ sb/sth/yourself The nurse washed and shaved him.

• a shaved head

see also shaven

2. transitive ~ sth to cut a small amount off a price, etc

• The firm had shaved profit margins.

Word Origin:

Old English sc(e)afan ‘scrape away the surface of (something) by paring’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schaven and German schaben.

Thesaurus:

shave verb T, I

• He shaved off his beard.

cut • • trim • • snip • • shear • • clip • • crop •

shave/cut/trim/snip/shear/clip sth off

shave/cut/snip/shear/clip sth from sth

shave/cut/trim/snip/shear/clip/crop hair

Example Bank:

• He has completely shaved his head.

• I cut myself when I was shaving.

Derived: shave something off ▪ shave something off something

noun

an act of shaving

• I need a shave.

• to have a shave

see a close call/shave at close2 adj.

Word Origin:

Old English sc(e)afan ‘scrape away the surface of (something) by paring’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schaven and German schaben.

Example Bank:

• He had a bath and a quick shave first.

• You can get a really close, smooth shave with this new double-bladed razor.

• an old-fashioned barber who does wet shaves

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

shave

shave /ʃeɪv/
verb [I or T]
to remove hair from the body, especially a man's face, by cutting it close to the skin with a razor, so that the skin feels smooth:
John has to shave twice a day.
I always shave my legs in the bath.
Do you shave under your arms?
When my dad shaved his beard (off), he looked ten years younger.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

shave

/ʃeɪv/
(shaves, shaving, shaved)

1.
When a man shaves, he removes the hair from his face using a razor or shaver so that his face is smooth.
He took a bath and shaved before dinner...
He had shaved his face until it was smooth...
It’s a pity you shaved your moustache off.
VERB: V, V n, V n with off
•
Shave is also a noun.
He never seemed to need a shave.
N-COUNT
• shav‧ing
...a range of shaving products.
N-UNCOUNT

2.
If someone shaves a part of their body, they remove the hair from it so that it is smooth.
Many women shave their legs...
If you have long curly hair, don’t shave it off.
VERB: V n, V n with off

3.
If you shave someone, you remove the hair from their face or another part of their body so that it is smooth.
The doctors shaved his head...
She had to call a barber to shave him.
VERB: V n, V n

4.
If you shave off part of a piece of wood or other material, you cut very thin pieces from it.
I set the log on the ground and shaved off the bark...
She was shaving thin slices off a courgette.
VERB: V n with off, V n off n

5.
If you shave a small amount off something such as a record, cost, or price, you reduce it by that amount.
She’s already shaved four seconds off the national record for the mile...
Supermarket chains have shaved prices.
VERB: V n off/from n, V n

6.
see also shaving

7.
If you describe a situation as a close shave, you mean that there was nearly an accident or a disaster but it was avoided.
I can’t quite believe the close shaves I’ve had just recently.
PHRASE: N inflects

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹shave /ˈʃeɪv/ verb shaves; shaved; shaved or shav·en /ˈʃeɪvən/; shav·ing
1 a : to cut the hair, wool, etc., off (someone or something) very close to the skin

[+ obj]

• He shaves himself [=cuts off the hair that grows on his face] every morning before breakfast.
• He shaved his head.
• She cut herself while shaving her legs.
• The sheep were all shaved.
• shaved/shaven heads/legs

[no obj]

• He shaves every morning before breakfast.
• I cut myself shaving this morning.
b [+ obj] : to cut off (hair, wool, a beard, etc.) very close to the skin
• He shaved his beard.
• She shaves her dog's fur in the summer.
- often + off
• He shaved off his beard.
2 [+ obj] : to remove a thin layer of (something) from something
• He shaved some butter from the container.
- usually + off
• Shave the bark off the tree.
3 [+ obj] : to reduce something by taking away (a small amount) - usually + off
• Can you shave a little off the price? [=can you reduce the price by a small amount?]
• She was able to shave a few seconds off the record. [=to beat the record by a few seconds]