sheathe

UK: /ˈʃiːð/ US: /ʃið/ ,(shēᵺ)

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

sheathes

v 3rd person singular

sheathing

v pres p

sheathed

v past

sheathed

v past p

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

sheathe /ʃið/   v. [~ + object] , sheathed, sheath•ing. 

1. to put (a sword, etc.) into a sheath:
   The knights were warned to sheathe their swords.
2. to close in with a covering like a sheath:
   to sheathe electrical wires with an insulator.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sheathe  (shēᵺ), v.t., sheathed, sheath•ing. 

1. to put (a sword, dagger, etc.) into a sheath.
2. to plunge (a sword, dagger, etc.) in something as if in a sheath.
3. to enclose in or as if in a casing or covering.
4. Building to cover or provide with a protective layer or sheathing:
   to sheathe a roof with copper.
5. Electricity to cover (a cable, electrical connector, etc.) with a metal sheath for grounding.

• Middle English shethen, derivative of sheath 1350–1400

sheath′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sheathe / ʃiːð/ verb (transitive)

1. to insert (a knife, sword, etc) into a sheath
2. (esp of cats) to retract (the claws)
3. to surface with or encase in a sheath or sheathing