shade

UK: /ˈʃeɪd/ US: /ʃeɪd/ ,(shād)

Inflections of 'shade' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

shades

v 3rd person singular

shading

v pres p

shaded

v past

shaded

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

shade /ʃeɪd/   n., v., shad•ed, shad•ing. 
n. 

1. the darkness caused by the screening of rays of light from an area, or a place where this is found:
   [uncountable] to stand in the shade of a big tree.
2. [countable] something that reduces or shuts out heat or light, as on a window or a lamp.
3. shades, [plural]
   • Slang Terms [Informal.] sunglasses:
     wearing a pair of shades.
4. [countable] the spirit of a dead person.
5. Fine Art the degree of darkness of a color:
   [countable] a shade of blue.
6. a slight amount or degree:
   [countable] a shade of difference.

v. 

7. to produce shade in, on, or over:
   [~ + object] The house is well shaded by the tall trees.
8. Fine Art to introduce degrees of darkness into (a drawing, painting, etc.) to create light and shadow: [~ + object]
   to shade the figures of the sketch.
   [~ + object + in]
   to shade them in with pencil.
   [~ + in + object]
   to shade in the figures.
9. to change by slight amounts: [~ + object]
   The candidate shaded his answer to fit what he thought the people wanted to hear.
   [no object]
   His answer seemed to shade from an initial "no'' to a tentative "yes.''

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

shade  (shād), n., v., shad•ed, shad•ing. 
n. 

1. the comparative darkness caused by the interception or screening of rays of light from an object, place, or area.
2. a place or an area of comparative darkness, as one sheltered from the sun.
3. See window shade. 
4. a lampshade.
5. shades:
   • darkness gathering at the close of day:
     Shades of night are falling.
   • Slang Terms sunglasses.
   • a reminder of something:
     shades of the Inquisition.
6. Usually, shades. a secluded or obscure place:
   He was living in the shades.
7. comparative obscurity.
8. a specter or ghost.
9. Mythology [Gk. and Rom. Relig.] one of the spirits of the dead inhabiting Hades.
10. a shadow.
11. Fine Art the degree of darkness of a color, determined by the quantity of black or by the lack of illumination.
12. Fine Art comparative darkness, as the effect of shadow or dark and light, in pictorial representation;
    the dark part, or a dark part, of a picture or drawing.
13. a slight variation or degree:
    a shade of difference.
14. a little bit;
    touch, esp. of something that may change the color of or lighten or darken something else:
    coffee with a shade of cream.
15. anything used for protection against excessive light, heat, etc.
16. (in architectural shades and shadows) a shadow upon those parts of a solid that are tangent to or turned away from the parallel rays from the theoretical light source. Cf. shadow (def. 11).
17. cast or put someone in or into the shade, to make another person's efforts seem insignificant by comparison;
    surpass:
    Her playing puts mine in the shade.
18. Mythology the shades, Hades, as the abode of the spirits of the dead.

v.t. 

19. to produce shade in or on.
20. to obscure, dim, or darken.
21. to screen or hide from view.
22. to protect (something) from light, heat, etc., by or as by a screen:
    to shade the eyes from a bright light.
23. to cover or screen (a candle, light, etc.):
    to shade a light to protect the eyes.
24. Fine Art
    • to introduce degrees of darkness into (a drawing or painting) in order to render light and shadow or give the effect of color.
    • to render the values of light and dark in (a drawn figure, object, etc.), esp. in order to create the illusion of three-dimensionality.
25. to change by imperceptible degrees into something else.
26. to reduce (the price) by way of a concession.

v.i. 

27. to pass or change by slight graduations, as one color, quality, or thing into another.
28. Agriculture shade up, to take shelter (as livestock) from the sun.

• bef. 900; 1960–65 for def. 17; (noun, nominal) Middle English s(c)hade, Old English sceadu (see shadow); cognate with German Schatten, Gothic skadus, Greek skótos; (verb, verbal) Middle English schaden, derivative of the noun, nominal

shade′less, adj. 
shade′less•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. obscurity, gloom, dusk.
  Shade, shadow imply partial darkness or something less bright than the surroundings.
  Shade indicates the lesser brightness and heat of an area where the direct rays of light do not fall:
  the shade of a tree.
  It differs from shadow in that it implies no particular form or definite limit, whereas shadow often refers to the form or outline of the object that intercepts the light:
  the shadow of a dog.
• 8. apparition, phantom, spirit.
• 13. bit.
• 14. trace, hint, suggestion.
• 15. veil, screen. See curtain. 
• 20. cloud, blur, obfuscate.
• 21. conceal, shelter.

Antonyms

• 1. light, glare.

Regional Variation

3. See window shade. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

shade / ʃeɪd/ noun

1. relative darkness produced by the blocking out of light
2. a place made relatively darker or cooler than other areas by the blocking of light, esp sunlight
3. a position of relative obscurity
4. something used to provide a shield or protection from a direct source of light, such as a lampshade
5. a darker area indicated in a painting, drawing, etc, by shading
6. a colour that varies slightly from a standard colour due to a difference in hue, saturation, or luminosity: a darker shade of green
7. a slight amount: a shade of difference
8. disrespectful criticism
9. a ghost
10. an archaic word for shadow
11. throw shade ⇒ to make a public show of contempt

verb (mainly tr)

1. to screen or protect from heat, light, view, etc
2. to make darker or dimmer
3. to represent (a darker area) in (a painting, drawing, etc), by means of hatching, using a darker colour, etc
4. (also intr) to change or cause to change slightly
5. to lower (a price) slightly
6. to criticize in a disrespectful manner

Etymology: Old English sceadu; related to Gothic skadus, Old High German skato, Old Irish scāth shadow, Greek skotos darkness, Swedish skäddä fog

ˈshadeless adjective