sheet

SaySHEET/ʃit//ʃiːt/

19 meanings of sheet

1
nouncountable
A large piece of thin cloth that you put on a bed.
Like a big soft cover you spread over your bed.
She pulled the clean sheet over the mattress.
The sheets on the bed felt cool and fresh.
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2
nouncountable
A flat, usually rectangular piece of paper for writing, drawing, or wrapping.
Take a clean sheet and write your name at the top.
She folded the sheet in half and slipped it into the envelope.
Similarpage, leaf
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3
nouncountable
A thin, flat piece of hard material.
The workers bolted a sheet of steel to the frame.
Sheets of plywood leaned against the garage wall.
Similarpane, panel, plate, layer
4
nouncountable
A wide, flat layer of something spread over a surface.
Like a thin blanket of something spread flat over a surface.
A sheet of ice covered the whole pond.
Sheets of ash settled over the town after the eruption.
Similarlayer, film, blanket, expanse
5
nouncountable
A flat metal pan used for baking, usually with no raised edges.
Like a flat metal tray for cooking food in the oven.
She lined the sheet with parchment before baking.
The cookies spread out across the greased sheet.
Similartray, pan
6
nouncountable
A wide stretch of something spread out.
A sheet of light spilled across the floor.
Sheets of color filled the evening sky.
Similarexpanse, carpet, wall, stretch, blanket
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7
nounfigurativelycountable
Rain or snow so heavy and thick that it looks like a solid wall.
Like a wall of water falling from the sky all at once.
A sheet of rain swept across the valley.
Sheets of rain hammered the rooftops all night.
Similarcurtain, wall, torrent, deluge
8
verbtransitive
To cover or wrap something in cloth, paper, or a similar material.
They sheet the furniture before painting the walls.
She sheeted the old sofa to keep the dust off.
Similarcover, wrap, shroud, drape
Oppositeuncover, unwrap
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9
verbtransitive
To press or shape a material into thin, flat layers.
The mill sheets the hot metal into thin strips.
Workers sheet the glass while it is still soft.
Similarroll, flatten
10
verbintransitive
To fall in heavy amounts, like very strong rain.
Like water tipped from a giant bucket all at once.
The rain began to sheet down across the fields.
Water sheeted off the roof during the downpour.
Similarpour, pelt, lash, teem, stream
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11
nouncountable
A rope that controls how a sail is set on a boat.
Like the string that lets you angle a kite into the wind.
Pull the sheet tight to catch more wind.
She let go of the sheet and the sail flapped loose.
Similarline, rope
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12
verbtransitive
To adjust a sail by pulling on its rope.
Like pulling a rope to angle a kite into the breeze.
Sheet in the sail so we move faster.
Sailors sheet the jib whenever the wind shifts.
Similartrim
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13
nouncountable
A wide, flat layer of hardened lava rock spread between or over other rock layers.
Like a layer of filling spread flat between two slices of cake.
Geologists mapped a thick sheet of dark rock running under the valley.
The cliff face shows a sheet of old lava between layers of sandstone.
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14
nouncountable
The strip of ice where a game of curling is played.
Like a bowling lane, but made of ice.
The players swept the stone down the sheet toward the target.
Each sheet had its own set of teams ready to play.
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15
nounnonstandardcountable
A sail that catches the wind to move a boat.
Like a big cloth that the wind pushes to move the boat.
The white sheet filled with wind as the boat picked up speed.
Sailors raised the sheet to begin the long voyage.
Similarsail
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16
nounnonstandardcountable
A thin layer of wood used to cover a surface.
Like a sticker of wood laid over a plain board.
The worker glued a sheet of veneer onto the tabletop.
Each sheet was thin enough to bend with one hand.
Similarveneer
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17
noundatedcountable
A single level or stage in a video game.
Like one floor in a tall building you climb level by level.
She finally cleared the last sheet and saw the ending.
If you land safely you will gain 30 extra points and move to the next sheet.
1984, Sinclair ProgramsHere, sheet means a level of the video game.
Similarlevel, stage, screen, round
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18
nouncountable
The open space at the front or back of a boat where no one rows.
Like the empty seat area at the back of a small boat.
The captain sat in the sheet at the back of the boat.
They stored the nets in the sheet near the bow.
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19
nounslangeuphemisticuncountable
Euphemistic form of shit. A milder-sounding stand-in people use to avoid the rude word.
Oh sheet, we missed the train!
She stubbed her toe and yelled sheet at the top of her lungs.
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Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–18

From Old English words meaning a piece of cloth and also a corner of a sail. It goes back to an old Germanic root.

Meaning 19

A softer, polite way of saying the swear word "shit."