What does "shit" mean?
Usually solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels; feces.
Shit
/ʃɪt/ adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Usually solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels; feces.
- Grammar: shit is listed as adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: crap, damn, a continental, a curse.
- Useful contrasts: calm, calmness, civil language.
- Usage evidence: I don't wanna clean up dog shit.
How to use "shit"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shit" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shit" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shit" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "shit" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "shit" is acting as adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "crap" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "shit", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Usually solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels; feces. colloquial, countable, literally, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"The practice in most African and some Asian cities is for private lorries to suck up human waste and dump it in rivers. [...] In tackling the shit problem, economics could well be a clincher."
- 2 something of little value wordnet
- 3 The act of shitting. colloquial, countable, informal, literally, usually, vulgar
- 4 Obscene word for unacceptable behavior wordnet
- 5 Rubbish; worthless matter. colloquial, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"Throw that shit out!"
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous wordnet
- 7 Stuff, things. colloquial, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"I want your shit out of my garage by tomorrow."
- 8 a coarse term for defecation wordnet
- 9 (the shit) The best of its kind. US, colloquial, definite, slang, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"These grapes are the shit!"
- 10 a small worthless amount wordnet
- 11 Genitalia, especially male. slang, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"jerk one's shit"
- 12 obscene terms for feces wordnet
- 13 Nonsense; bullshit. colloquial, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"Everything he says is a load of shit."
- 14 A nasty, despicable person, used particularly of men. colloquial, countable, usually, vulgar
"Her son has been a real shit to her."
- 15 (in negations) Anything. colloquial, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"We don’t have shit to live on."
- 16 The smallest amount of concern or consideration. colloquial, countable, usually, vulgar
"I don't give a shit."
- 17 A problem or difficult situation. colloquial, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"I'm in some serious shit."
- 18 A strong rebuke. colloquial, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"I gave him shit for being three hours late twice in one week."
- 19 Any recreational drug (e.g. cannabis, heroin, etc.). colloquial, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"‘Now,’ he said, ‘if someone would close the curtains and light a joss-stick, I have here for your delight some twenty-four-carat black Nepalese cannabis resin which should be smoked immediately on account of it being seriously good shit.’"
- 20 Anything exceptional or remarkable. slang, uncountable, usually, vulgar
"I heard Bobby escaped from the police by jumping off a bridge into the river. Ain't that some shit?"
Verb
- 1 To defecate. colloquial, intransitive, literally, vulgar
"For quotations using this term, see Citations:shit."
- 2 have a bowel movement wordnet
- 3 To excrete (something) through the anus. colloquial, literally, transitive, vulgar
- 4 give away information about somebody wordnet
- 5 To defecate on; to soil through defecating. colloquial, literally, reflexive, transitive, vulgar
"I laughed so hard I shat myself."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To fart (especially a wet fart) or shart. ambitransitive, colloquial, slang, vulgar
"Of course, the farter does not dislike the smell of his own doing, but anybody else's fart, "Katey, bar the doors" and shouting, "Who shit?""
- 7 To fool or try to fool someone; to be deceitful. colloquial, transitive, vulgar
"Twelve hundred dollars!? Are you shitting me!?"
- 8 To annoy. Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, UK, colloquial, transitive, vulgar
"I saw red and smashed a plate and a bowl. […] I swept up the mess. I bawled a lot as I swept […] I also thought, I am about to get my period. It absolutely shits me that this should explain anything."
Adjective
- 1 Of poor quality; worthless. colloquial, vulgar
"What a shit film that was!"
- 2 Nasty; despicable. colloquial, vulgar
"That was a shit thing to do to him."
Intj
- 1 Expression of worry, failure, shock, etc., often at something seen for the first time or remembered immediately before using this term. colloquial, mildly, slang, vulgar
"Shit! I think that I forgot to pack my sleeping bag last night!"
- 2 Used to show displeasure or surprise. colloquial, vulgar
""Oh, shit. I left my worksheet at home," she said to the language arts teacher, which got her in trouble."
- 3 Used for mere emphasis; heck, hey. colloquial, vulgar
"All my comrades were laughing and clowning me, but shit, that didn't stop me from talking more shit."
Proper Noun
- 1 A village in Mazandaran Province, Iran.
- 2 A village in Zanjan Province, Iran.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I don't wanna clean up dog shit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shit"?
Common synonyms include: crap, damn, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn.
How do you use "shit" in a sentence?
I don't wanna clean up dog shit.
How do you pronounce "shit"?
Pronounced /ʃɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English schit, schyt, from Old English *sċite (“dung”) and sċitte (“diarrhoea”), from Proto-West Germanic *skiti and *skittjā, from Proto-Germanic *skitiz, from Proto-Indo-European *skeyd- (“to split, divide, separate”). Related to Saterland Frisian Skiete, West Frisian skyte, skyt, Dutch schijt, German Low German Schiet, German Scheiße, Danish skidt, Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk skit, Norwegian Bokmål skitt, Icelandic skítur. Compare shite. Doublet of scheisse.
Etymology 2
From Middle English schiten, shiten, from Old English sċītan, from Proto-West Germanic *skītan, from Proto-Germanic *skītaną, from Proto-Indo-European *skéydt, from *skeyd-, *skeh₁i-d (“to cut”) (compare *skey-). Cognate with West Frisian skite, Low German schieten, Dutch schijten, German scheißen, Danish skide. More at shed.
Etymology 3
From Persian شيت (šīt).