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 roofor 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]
shingle in British English1
(ˈʃɪŋɡəl)
noun
1.
a thin rectangular tile, esp one made of wood, that is laid with others in overlapping rows to cover a roof or a wall
2.
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)
5.
to cover (a roof or a wall) with shingles
6.
to cut (the hair) in a short-cropped style
Derived forms
shingler (ˈshingler)
noun
Word origin
C12 scingle, from Late Latin scindula a split piece of wood, from Latin scindere to split
shingle in British English2
(ˈʃɪŋɡəl)
noun
1.
coarse gravel, esp the pebbles found on beaches
2.
a place or area strewn with shingle
Derived forms
shingly (ˈshingly)
adjective
Word origin
C16: of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian singl pebbles, Frisian singel gravel
shingle in British English3
(ˈʃɪŋɡəl)
verb
(transitive) metallurgy
to hammer or squeeze the slag out of (iron) after puddling in the production of wrought iron
Word origin
C17: from Old French dialect chingler to whip, from chingle belt, from Latin cingula girdle; see cingulum
shingle in American English1
(ˈʃɪŋgəl)
noun Chiefly British
1.
large, coarse, waterworn gravel, as found on a beach
2.
an area, as a beach, covered with this
Derived forms
shingly (ˈshingly)
adjective
Word origin
prob. < Scand, as in Norw singel, akin to MDu singele, coastal detritus < ?
shingle in American English2
(ˈʃɪŋgəl)
noun
1.
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
4.
to cover (a roof, etc.) with shingles
5. US
to cut (hair) in shingle style
Word origin
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
shingle in American English3
(ˈʃɪŋgəl)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈshingled or ˈshingling
to work on (puddled iron) by hammering and squeezing it to remove impurities
Word origin
< Fr dial. (Picardy) chingler, var. of Fr cingler, to strike with a flexible rod, ult. < L cingula: see cingulum
Examples of 'shingle' in a sentence
shingle
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 - Mallorca
Its 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)
Word lists with
shingle
hairstyle
In other languages
shingle
British English: shingle 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.
American English: shingle
Brazilian Portuguese: cascalho
Chinese: > 碎石滩海边或河边的
European Spanish: guijarros
French: galets
German: Kieselsteine
Italian: ciottoli
Japanese: 小石
Korean: 조약돌
European Portuguese: cascalho
Latin American Spanish: guijarros
All related terms of 'shingle'
shingle beach
a beach made of a mass of small pieces of rough stone
shingle roof
a roof covered with thin rectangular tiles , esp made of wood, that are laid with others in overlapping rows
a shingle short
lacking intelligence
board-and-shingle
a small dwelling with wooden walls and a shingle roof
hang out your/a shingle
If you hang out your shingle or hang out a shingle , you start your own business .