shedding

verb

present participle of shed
1
as in peeling
to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside a snake's skin doesn't grow as the snake does, so every so often the snake will shed its old skin

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in dumping
to get rid of as useless or unwanted you need to shed your old notions of propriety and have some fun for a change

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shedding Anabel Kingsley, consultant trichologist and brand president of the Philip Kingsley Clinics and product ranges, has clients who stay awake long into the night, comparing photos before and after shedding events. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026 By shedding light on these dark corners, the observatory's mission, NASA said, will then reveal not just how the universe developed over time, but where it's headed. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Garfield went viral in 2021 for shedding light on losing his mother in an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 After a roughly three-month checkout period, the scope will start observing the heavens — hunting for exoplanets and shedding light on dark matter and dark energy, among other tasks. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Castro says consistent feather shedding or filling that is beginning to break apart can also signal that a pillow is failing. — Colleen Sullivan, Martha Stewart, 22 Aug. 2026 Contributor Stewart Savin put this model to the test by cleaning up after her 60-pound German Shepherd rescue mix, whose shedding season is 365 days a year. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 2026 The study required tracking of millions of individual particles shedding light on turbulence and opening up new avenues of research in nuclear fusion and astronomy. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026 WhatNot and other live shopping retailers are shedding their reputations as purveyors of baseball cards by expanding their digital aisles, benefitting niche auction-fluencers like Lally. — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shedding
  1. peeling
  2. dumping
  3. discarding
  4. unloading
  5. sloughing
  6. ditching
  7. molting
  8. losing
Verb
  • Unlike other cucumbers, their skin is edible, so peeling is not necessary when preparing them.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Common problems include bubbles, trimming errors, poor adhesion from dirty glass, confusion over backing liners and peeling after repositioning.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of peeling
Verb
  • Auger-Aliassime was moving lethargically, not showing a lot of energy, dumping water on his head during changeovers to cool down.
    — Lukas Weese, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • On Thursday morning, crews in bright yellow vests were using large lifts to reach the top of the mill’s western side and were dumping debris into nearby train cars.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of dumping
Verb
  • Toyota's luxury division is taking its efficiency up a notch for the 2027 model year by completely discarding its gas powertrain.
    — Charles Singh, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • How Your Kidneys Process Multivitamins The kidneys continuously filter the blood, reabsorbing the nutrients and discarding waste.
    — Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of discarding
Verb
  • The world’s first self-unloading electric bulk carrier, powered by a massive 6,758-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery system, has officially entered commercial service in the land Down Under.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Welcomed by Herky the Hornet, the cheer team and the campus community, the students and their families checked in before unloading their belongings and setting up their new rooms.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of unloading
Verb
  • It’s also packed with a slew of cleansing agents that are known for effectively sloughing away gunk while being gentle enough not to damage the skin barrier.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The leader of his country’s Socialist Party, Rama came to power in 2013, as Albania was still sloughing off its insular identity.
    — Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026
Definition of sloughing
Verb
  • In footage shared by fans on social media, the singer debuted a bold new hair look, ditching her signature voluminous red curls in favor of a short, sharp blunt bob with a bold set of microbangs.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Sky had a plan for Bake Off that would involve ditching spin-off series, including the professionals and kids’ versions.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of ditching
Verb
  • Now, in his fourth week checking the hawk’s nest on OC Parks’ land managed by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, Gough noticed the color change, indicating the chicks are molting their feathers, doing well, and growing.
    — Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
  • On the Sonora stage Sunday, the 22-year-old Newark rapper-producer who arrived at the current screaming catharsis via a circuit of molting SoundCloud-era microgenres was at once dangerously commanding and euphoric while tearing through highlights from last year’s Revengeseekerz.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of molting
Verb
  • A week after losing 49-35 to Batavia, Maine South came out strong in all three phases of the game.
    — Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The Chiefs continue their preseason losing streak, but as The Star’s Sam McDowell writes, the next one counts.
    — Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of losing

Browse Nearby Words

shed
shedding
sheds
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Cite this Entry

“Shedding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shedding. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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