Home British & World English shit

Definition of shit in English:

shit

noun

mass nounvulgar slang

  • 1Faeces.

    excrement, bodily waste, waste matter, ordure, dung, manure, scat
    1. 1.1count noun An act of defecating.
      excretion, discharging faeces, excreting faeces, passing faeces, evacuation of one's bowels, opening one's bowels, going to the lavatory
    2. 1.2the shitsDiarrhoea.

  • 2count noun A contemptible or worthless person.

    scoundrel, villain, rogue, rascal, brute, animal, weasel, snake, monster, ogre, wretch, devil, good-for-nothing, reprobate, wrongdoer, evil-doer

  • 3Something worthless; rubbish; nonsense.

    ‘this book is shit’
    nonsense, balderdash, gibberish, claptrap, blarney, blather, blether, moonshine
    1. 3.1Unpleasant experiences or treatment.
      ‘I went through a lot of shit last year’
      painful experience, unpleasant experience, trial, tribulation, test, nightmare, trauma, baptism of fire, hell, hell on earth, misery, trouble, difficulty, torture, torment, agony

  • 4Things or stuff, especially personal belongings.

    ‘he left his shit at my flat’
    belongings, possessions, stuff, property, worldly goods, goods, personal effects, effects, paraphernalia, impedimenta, bits and pieces, bits and bobs
    1. 4.1Events or circumstances.
      ‘some crazy shit happened last night’
      events, happenings, affairs, business

  • 5An intoxicating drug, especially cannabis.

    narcotic, stimulant, hallucinogen, addictive drug, recreational drug, illegal drug, substance

verbshits, shitting, shitted, shit, shat

vulgar slang

  • 1no object Expel faeces from the body.

    excrete, discharge faeces, excrete faeces, pass faeces, have a bowel movement, have a BM, evacuate one's bowels, open one's bowels, void excrement, relieve oneself, go to the lavatory
    1. 1.1shit oneselfwith object Soil one's clothes as a result of expelling faeces accidentally.
    2. 1.2shit oneselfwith object Be very frightened.

  • 2with object Tease or try to deceive (someone).

exclamation

vulgar slang

  • An exclamation of disgust, anger, or annoyance.

Phrases

    (as) — as shit
    vulgar slang

    • Used for emphasis.

    be the shit
    US vulgar slang

    • Be outstandingly good or impressive.

    kick (or beat) the shit out of
    vulgar slang

    • Beat (someone) very severely.

    do bears shit in the woods?
    vulgar slang

    • Used to indicate that something is blatantly obvious.

    be shitting bricks
    vulgar slang

    • Be extremely nervous or frightened.

    for shits and giggles
    vulgar slang

    • For no reason except to amuse oneself; for fun.

    get one's shit together
    vulgar slang

    • Organize oneself so as to be able to deal with or achieve something.

    in the shit (or in deep shit)
    vulgar slang

    • In trouble.

    give someone the shits
    Australian, New Zealand vulgar slang, informal

    • Make someone annoyed or angry.

    like shit
    vulgar slang

    • Very bad or badly.

      ‘drummers get treated like shit’
      ‘I felt like shit this morning’
      • ‘Hearing that made me feel like shit.’
      • ‘Heading into the bathroom to go pee, I noticed that I looked like shit.’
      • ‘I knew that the music sounded like shit.’
      • ‘I was treated like shit by the people who played, because I couldn't kick a ball anymore.’
      • ‘Mila woke up feeling like shit.’
    lose one's shit
    US vulgar slang

    • Lose one's composure.

    no shit
    vulgar slang

    • Used as a way of confirming or seeking confirmation of the truth of a statement.

    not know shit
    vulgar slang

    • Not know anything.

    not give a shit
    vulgar slang

    • Not care at all.

    be up shit creek (without a paddle)
    vulgar slang

    • Be in an awkward predicament.

    shit for brains
    North American vulgar slang

    • A stupid person.

    when the shit hits the fan
    vulgar slang

    • When the disastrous consequences of something become public.

Origin

Old English scitte ‘diarrhoea’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schijten, German scheissen (verb). The term was originally neutral and used without vulgar connotation.

Pronunciation

shit

/ʃɪt/