# shave

> English word · Verb · IPA /ʃeɪv/ · frequency rank #9,248

## Definitions
1. To make (the head, skin etc.) bald or (the hair) shorter by using a tool such as a razor or electric clippers to cut the hair close to the skin.
2. To cut anything in this fashion.
3. To remove hair from one's face by this means.
4. To cut finely, for example slices of meat.
5. To skim along or near the surface of; to pass close to, or touch lightly, in passing.
6. To reduce in size, weight, time taken etc., usually by a small amount.
7. To be hard and severe in a bargain with; to practice extortion on; to cheat.
8. To buy (a note) at a discount greater than the legal rate of interest, or to deduct in discounting it more than the legal rate allows.
9. To injure by employing a knife.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English shaven, schaven, from Old English sċafan (“to shave, scrape, shred, polish”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaban, from Proto-Germanic *skabaną (“to scrape”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to cut, split, form, carve”).
Cognate with West Frisian skave, Dutch schaven, Low German schaven, German schaben, Danish skave, Norwegian Nynorsk skava, Swedish skava, Icelandic skafa, Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (skaban), all roughly “to scrape, chafe, shave, plane, remove the outer lay of”.

## Easily confused with
- **she** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-she)
- **shoe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-shoe)
- **shaw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-shaw)
- **shay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-shay)
- **shiv** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-shiv)
- **Slav** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-slav)
- **state** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-state)
- **space** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-space)
- **stage** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-stage)
- **Steve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-steve)
- **solve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-solve)
- **shore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-shore)
- **slave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-slave)
- **spare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-spare)
- **snake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-snake)
- **shine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-shine)
- **stake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-stake)
- **stare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-stare)
- **slate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-slate)
- **Shawn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shave-vs-shawn)

## Common misspellings (7)
`hsave`, `sahve`, `shaev`, `shavve`, `shhave`, `shvae`, `sshave`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/shave