Wiktionary

shit

See also: Shit and shít

English

 
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Pronunciation

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.

Alternative forms

Noun

shit (usually uncountable, plural shits)

  1. (countable, uncountable, colloquial, vulgar) Solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels; feces.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:feces
    • 2011 July 30, “Cholera and the super-loo”, in The Economist:
      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. (countable, colloquial, vulgar) The act of shitting.
  3. (uncountable, vulgar, colloquial) Rubbish; worthless matter.
    Throw that shit out!
    Get rid of that shit away!
    Bring that shit to the disposal.
  4. (uncountable, vulgar, colloquial) Stuff, things.
    I want your shit out of my garage by tomorrow.
    Fuck it. I don't feel like doing this shit.
    How about wouldn't you take that shit off?
    • 1998, Jim Kouf, Ross LaManna, Rush Hour‎[1], California: New Line Cinema:
      JAMES CARTER: You put your own shit in the back; I'm not a skycap.
    • 2001, “Zip City”, performed by Mike Cooley:
      Don't know why I put up with this shit / When you don't put out and Zip City's so far away
    • 2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road might already be the best action movie ever made”, in The Onion AV Club‎[2]:
      He’s physical and monosyllabic. He does all sorts of cool shit, and he subtly rediscovers his own heroism without making a big thing out of it. But he’s a supporting character, and he knows it.
  5. (uncountable, colloquial, vulgar, definite, US) (the shit) The best of its kind.
    These grapes are the shit!
    Those inhalers and injections was the shit.
    Contact lenses is the shit.
    • 2003, “What Up Gangsta”, in Curtis Jackson, Rob Tewlow (lyrics), Reef Tewlow (music), Get Rich or Die Tryin'‎[3], performed by 50 Cent, New York City: Shady Records:
      When gangsters bump my shit, can they feel my hunger?
  6. (uncountable, vulgar, colloquial) Nonsense; bullshit.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nonsense
    Everything he says is a load of shit.
    Enough of this shit!
    Quit your shit!
    What is this shit?
    Aw, this shit again?
  7. (countable, vulgar, colloquial) A nasty, despicable person, used particularly of men.
    Her son has been a real shit to her.
    I am a shit and a rotter.
    Get the fuck out of here you little shit!
  8. (uncountable, vulgar, colloquial) (in negations) Anything.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:nothing
    We don’t have shit to live on. ― We don’t have anything to live on.
    John can't sing for shit. ― John can't sing at all.
    You ain't shit. ― You're nothing; you aren't worth anything.
    Can't do shit to accomplish the objectives to inspect. ― Can't do for all; at all to accomplish the objectives to inspect.
    They won't do shit for us to clean the house. ― They won't do nothing; weren't anything for us to clean the house.
  9. (countable, vulgar, colloquial) The smallest amount of concern or consideration.
    Synonyms: fuck, damn
    I don't give a shit.
  10. (uncountable, vulgar, colloquial) A problem or difficult situation.
    I'm in some serious shit.
    Some shit went down at the nightclub last night.
  11. (uncountable, vulgar, colloquial) A strong rebuke.
    I gave him shit for being three hours late twice in one week.
  12. (uncountable, vulgar, colloquial) Any recreational drug (e.g. cannabis, heroin, etc.).
    • 1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, →OCLC, section I, page 20:
      ‘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.’
  13. (uncountable, slang, vulgar) Anything exceptional or remarkable.
    I heard Bobby escaped from the police by jumping off a bridge into the river. Ain't that some shit?
Descendants
  • → Dutch: shit m
  • → French: shit m
  • → Ilocano: shet
  • → Kankanaey: shet
  • → Pitcairn-Norfolk: shet
  • → Swedish: shit
  • → Tagalog: shet
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Adjective

shit (comparative shitter or more shit, superlative shittest or most shit)

  1. (vulgar, colloquial) Of poor quality; worthless.
    Synonym: shitty
    What a shit film that was!
  2. (vulgar, colloquial) Nasty; despicable.
    Synonym: shitty
    That was a shit thing to do to him.
Derived terms
Translations

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.

Verb

shit (third-person singular simple present shits, present participle shitting, simple past shat or (rare) shitted or (US) shit, past participle shat or (rare) shitted or (US) shit or shitten)

  1. (intransitive, vulgar, colloquial) To defecate.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:defecate
  2. (transitive, vulgar, colloquial) To excrete (something) through the anus.
  3. (transitive, reflexive, vulgar, colloquial) To defecate on; to soil through defecating.
    I farted so hard I shat myself.
  4. (transitive, vulgar, colloquial) To fool or try to fool someone; to be deceitful.
    Synonyms: shit with; see also Thesaurus:deceive
    Twelve hundred dollars!? Are you shitting me!?
  5. (transitive, vulgar, colloquial, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland) To annoy. [from 20th c.]
    • 1983, Helen Garner, Yellow Notebook: Diaries Volume I, Text Publishing, published 2022, page 70:
      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.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Interjection

shit

  1. (vulgar) Expression of worry, failure, shock, etc., often at something seen for the first time or remembered immediately before using this term.
    Synonyms: poo, poop, crap; see also Thesaurus:dammit
    Shit! I think that I forgot to pack my sleeping bag last night!
    Holy shit!
    Oh, shit!
  2. (vulgar) Used to show displeasure or surprise.
    "Oh, shit. I left my worksheet at home," she said to the language arts teacher, which got her in trouble.
  3. (vulgar) Used for mere emphasis; heck, hey.
    • 2017, Darrell Smith, Miracle Baby:
      All my comrades were laughing and clowning me, but shit, that didn't stop me from talking more shit.
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English shit. Doublet of schijt.

Pronunciation

Interjection

shit

  1. shit, darn

Usage notes

Not considered very vulgar, unlike in some English lects. But it is still sometimes euphemistically replaced by chips, e.g. around children.

Noun

shit m (uncountable)

  1. (slang) stuff
  2. (slang) trouble

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English shit.

Pronunciation

Noun

shit m (uncountable)

  1. (slang) cannabis

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English shit.

Interjection

shit

  1. shit, wow, oh, oh my God, said when surprised or shocked
    Synonyms: oj, herregud, jävlar, helvete
    Shit! Vad är det där?
    Oh my God! What's that?

Derived terms

Anagrams

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