Definition of 'shingle'

Word Frequency

shingle

(ʃɪŋgəl )

Word forms: plural shingles

1. uncountable noun

Shingle is a mass of small rough pieces of stone on the shore of a sea or a river.

...a beach of sand and shingle.

2. uncountable noun

Shingles is a disease in which painful red spots spread in bands over a person's body, especially around their waist.

3. countable noun [usually plural]

Shingles are thin pieces of wood or another material which are fixed in rows to cover a roof or wall.

The roofs had shingles missing.

4. countable noun

A shingle is a small sign that is hung outside a building, such as the place where a doctor or lawyer works.

[US]

Word Frequency

shingle in British 1

(ˈʃɪŋɡəl )

noun

a thin rectangular tile, esp one made of wood, that is laid with others in overlapping rows to cover a roof or a wall

a woman's short-cropped hairstyle

3. US and Canadian

a small signboard or nameplate fixed outside the office of a doctor, lawyer, etc

4. a shingle short

verb (transitive)

to cover (a roof or a wall) with shingles

to cut (the hair) in a short-cropped style

Derived forms

shingler (ˈshingler)

noun

Word origin of 'shingle'

C12 scingle, from Late Latin scindula a split piece of wood, from Latin scindere to split

Word Frequency

shingle in British 2

(ˈʃɪŋɡəl )

noun

coarse gravel, esp the pebbles found on beaches

a place or area strewn with shingle

Derived forms

shingly (ˈshingly)

adjective

Word origin of 'shingle'

C16: of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian singl pebbles, Frisian singel gravel

Word Frequency

shingle in British 3

(ˈʃɪŋɡəl )

verb

(transitive) metallurgy

to hammer or squeeze the slag out of (iron) after puddling in the production of wrought iron

Word origin of 'shingle'

C17: from Old French dialect chingler to whip, from chingle belt, from Latin cingula girdle; see cingulum

Word Frequency

shingle in American 1

(ˈʃɪŋgəl ; shiŋˈgəl)

noun Chiefly British

large, coarse, waterworn gravel, as found on a beach

an area, as a beach, covered with this

Derived forms

shingly (ˈshingly)

adjective

Word origin of 'shingle'

prob. < Scand, as in Norw singel, akin to MDu singele, coastal detritus < ?

Word Frequency

shingle in American 2

(ˈʃɪŋgəl ; shiŋˈgəl)

noun

a thin, wedge-shaped piece of wood, slate, etc. laid with others in a series of overlapping rows as a covering for roofs and the sides of houses

2. US

a woman's short haircut in which the hair over the nape is shaped close to the head

3. US, Informal

a small signboard, esp. that which a physician or lawyer hangs outside his or her office

verb transitiveWord forms: ˈshingled or ˈshingling

to cover (a roof, etc.) with shingles

5. US

to cut (hair) in shingle style

Word origin of 'shingle'

ME schingel, prob. altered < OE scindel, akin to OS scindula < WGmc borrowing < L scindula, later form of scandula, shingle < IE *(s)k(h)end-, to split, extension of base *sek-, to cut > saw1

Word Frequency

shingle in American 3

(ˈʃɪŋgəl ; shiŋˈgəl)

verb transitiveWord forms: ˈshingled or ˈshingling

to work on (puddled iron) by hammering and squeezing it to remove impurities

Word origin of 'shingle'

< Fr dial. (Picardy) chingler, var. of Fr cingler, to strike with a flexible rod, ult. < L cingula: see cingulum

Example sentences containing 'shingle'

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The sand and shingle beach is great for horse riding or a sunset stroll. The Sun (2015)Walking for any distance along shingle bank is punishing on the legs. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The great shingle bank is rather tentatively attached to the land in the north. Times, Sunday Times (2010)We think existing flood defences could be repaired with clay and a shingle ridge. Times, Sunday Times (2008)There are also two sheltered shingle beaches and a small tidal island which can be climbed. Times, Sunday Times (2014)Has a narrow strip of sandy beach as well as rocky areas with coves of shingle or sand beaches. Collins Traveller - MallorcaIts 150m shoreline switches from fine sand to shingle. Times, Sunday Times (2013)It's protected by a huge shingle bank. Times, Sunday Times (2010)Today, the sea laps tamely over the shingle beach beside the tangle of narrow streets. Times, Sunday Times (2015)The carpet feels like the shingle on Brighton beach. Times, Sunday Times (2007)After lunch or dinner, wander across the road to the shingle beach and watch the fishermen. The Sun (2016)These two plants hold together the sand and shingle - without them the whole peninsula could well disappear. Times, Sunday Times (2007)A wide stretch of sand and shingle makes a good spot for beach games. Times, Sunday Times (2009)A narrow gut of shingle and sand leads out to sea for the swimmers. Times, Sunday Times (2015)I had time to see a curve of beach, shingle below green grass. various & introduction by Deirdre Chapman A Roomful of Birds - Scottish short stories 1990 (1990)Standing clear of the cluster of converted railway carriages and huts that line the shingle shore, the tower has four storeys and two bedrooms. Times, Sunday Times (2009)There's almost a Mediterranean feel with its sweep of golden fine shingle surrounded by pines. The Sun (2014)You'll see it growing on shingle banks on the shores of southern England. Times, Sunday Times (2009)It's just a shame that beach is shingle, rather than sand. Times, Sunday Times (2013)Deal, with its pier and long shingle beach, is eight miles away. Times, Sunday Times (2014)Cliffs, chalk grassland, shingle beach. Perring, Franklyn A Guide to Britain's Conservation Heritage (1991)From the great shingle bank that runs south along the shoreline you can look out over the cold grey North Sea. Times, Sunday Times (2010)