Shower Definition & Meaning

American

British

More Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms shower 1 American [shou-er] / ˈʃaʊ ər /

noun

1. a brief fall of rain or, sometimes, of hail or snow.

   An afternoon shower is forecast for tomorrow.

   This weekend they’re predicting freezing weather with scattered snow showers.

2. Also called shower bath.

   1. a bath in which water is sprayed on the body, usually from an overhead perforated nozzle showerhead.

      I took a quick shower before dinner.

   2. the apparatus for this or the room or stall enclosing it.

      The shower is leaking.

      We have two bathrooms, but the downstairs one has only a shower and no tub.

3. an abundant supply or quantity.

   I wish you and your family a shower of wealth, joy, health, and other blessings!

   Synonyms: torrent, spate, deluge, flood

4. a party at which gifts of a specific kind are given, as for a bride, prospective parent, someone moving house, or any other purpose.

   Excited by the prospect of a new campus infirmary, students and alumni held a linen shower to provide new sheets and towels.

   When he moved into his own apartment, we held a housewarming shower for him, giving him more kitchenware than one person could ever use.

5. a fall of many objects, such as tears, sparks, things that are thrown, etc..

   The couple walked out of the church under a shower of confetti.

6. Astronomy. air shower.

7. showers, a room or area equipped with several overhead perforated nozzles, sometimes in separate stalls, for use by a number of people bathing at the same time.

verb (used with object)

1. to bestow liberally or lavishly.

   We showered good wishes and last-minute bits of advice on the departing hockey team.

2. to deluge (a person) with gifts, favors, etc..

   She was showered with gifts on her birthday.

3. to bathe (oneself) with water sprayed on the body, usually from an overhead perforated nozzle.

   In the past 30 days the patient has been able to exercise, shower himself, toilet himself, and play a board game.

verb (used without object)

1. to bathe with water sprayed on the body, usually from an overhead perforated nozzle.

   Do you prefer to shower in the morning or at bedtime?

2. to rain briefly.

   During the final game on Saturday it showered for a couple of minutes, and then the sun came out again.

idioms

1. hit the showers,

   1. to go and take a shower (originally of a group bathing in a space with multiple overhead nozzles, as in a gym, school, locker room, etc.).

      The coach made us run one more lap before we hit the showers.

      After eight hours helping them move, I'm ready to hit the showers and go to bed.

   2. Baseball. (of a pitcher) to be replaced in a game, usually because of ineffectiveness.

      He was throwing inconsistently and found himself hitting the showers before the fifth inning four times in two months.

   3. to stop giving one’s full effort, as if the game or task were over.

      You don't hit the showers if you're up three touchdowns in the first quarter—you finish the game with the same intensity you started with.

2. send to the showers,

   1. to replace (a pitcher) during a game, usually because they are ineffective.

      The coach sent him to the showers after he walked three batters in a row.

   2. to cause (a pitcher) to be replaced in a game, as by getting many hits off them; knock out of the box.

      Two home runs and a line-drive double sent her to the showers.

shower 2 American [shoh-er] / ˈʃoʊ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that shows.

shower 1 British / ˈʃaʊə /

noun

1. a brief period of rain, hail, sleet, or snow

2. a sudden abundant fall or downpour, as of tears, sparks, or light

3. a rush; outpouring

   a shower of praise

4. 1. a kind of bath in which a person stands upright and is sprayed with water from a nozzle

   2. Full name: shower bath. the room, booth, etc, containing such a bath

5. slang a derogatory term applied to a person or group, esp to a group considered as being slack, untidy, etc

6. a party held to honour and present gifts to a person, as to a prospective bride

7. a large number of particles formed by the collision of a cosmic-ray particle with a particle in the atmosphere

8. a light fabric cover thrown over a tea table to protect the food from flies, dust, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. (tr) to sprinkle or spray with or as if with a shower

   shower the powder into the milk

2. to fall or cause to fall in the form of a shower

3. (tr) to give (gifts, etc) in abundance or present (a person) with (gifts, etc)

   they showered gifts on him

4. (intr) to take a shower

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 shower 2 British / ˈʃəʊə /

noun

1. a person or thing that shows

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 shower More Idioms

1. see cold shower.

Other Word Forms

• showerless adjective
• showerlike adjective
• showery adjective
• unshowered adjective
• well-showered adjective

Etymology

Origin of shower1

First recorded before 950; Middle English noun shouer, shour, shour(r)e Old English scūr, scūra; cognate with German Schauer, Old Norse skūr, Gothic skūra; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of shower2

First recorded before 900; Middle English sheuer(e), shoure “watchman, overseer, teacher, guide” Old English scēawere, derivative of scēawian to show; -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Enjoy the warmth and sunshine, because forecasters say an unseasonable pattern of high temperatures in Southern California will end after Monday, bringing cooler weather and showers later this week.

From Los Angeles Times

Her long black hair was wet and combed straight back as if she’d just stepped out of the shower.

From Literature

“All I need is a hot shower and a good night’s sleep,” Mr. Palmer replied.

From Literature

"I have attempted that song in the shower," he admits.

From BBC

Staff describe the cabin as having "living areas": one with a sofa and TV console, while at the rear, a bedroom they call a "grand suite with a shower."

From BBC

Related Words

• deluge
• downpour
• drizzle
• flood
• hail
• rain
• rainstorm
• sleet
• storm

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.