shit
shit
Pronunciation
IPA phonetic spelling: /ʃɪt/
First syllable:
/ʃ/ - voiceless postalveolar fricative (like the "sh" in "shoe")
/ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel (like the "i" in "sit")
/t/ - voiceless alveolar plosive (like the "t" in "top")
Word Form Variations
Noun:
Singular: shit
Plural: shit (informal, often used collectively or when referring to multiple instances of something considered "shit")
Verb:
Base form: shit
Third-person singular present: shits
Present participle: shitting
Past tense: shit (also shat, though less common in modern usage)
Past participle: shit (also shat)
Adjective: shit (uncountable, no plural)
Adverb: shit (uncountable, no plural)
Interjection: shit (uncountable, no plural)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: Excrement, particularly from mammals. This can refer to solid waste from the bowels.
Synonyms: feces, dung, droppings, waste, excreta, scat (for animals)
Antonyms: food, sustenance (when referring to the opposite of waste)
Definition 2: (Vulgar, informal) Nonsense, untruth, or something of very poor quality.
Synonyms: rubbish, trash, garbage, nonsense, baloney, bunk, drivel, crap, junk
Antonyms: truth, facts, quality, excellence, brilliance
Definition 3: (Vulgar, informal) A difficult or unpleasant situation or experience.
Synonyms: trouble, difficulty, mess, predicament, bother, hassle, pickle
Antonyms: ease, comfort, pleasure, joy, relief
Definition 4: (Vulgar, informal) Possessions or personal belongings, often implying clutter or an assortment of miscellaneous items.
Synonyms: stuff, junk, things, belongings, gear, odds and ends
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for this specific nuance, but could imply a lack of belongings: emptiness, nothingness)
Verb
Definition 1: (Vulgar, informal) To defecate; to pass solid waste from the bowels.
Synonyms: defecate, excrete, evacuate, poop (informal)
Antonyms: eat, consume, ingest
Definition 2: (Vulgar, informal) To deliberately deceive or treat unfairly.
Synonyms: trick, deceive, mislead, betray, screw over (vulgar), rip off (informal)
Antonyms: enlighten, assist, support, help, be honest with
Adjective
Definition 1: (Vulgar, informal) Of extremely poor quality; very bad or unpleasant.
Synonyms: awful, terrible, dreadful, vile, rubbishy, lousy, execrable, poor
Antonyms: excellent, superb, fantastic, wonderful, great, good
Adverb
Definition 1: (Vulgar, informal) To a very great extent; extremely.
Synonyms: very, extremely, terribly, immensely, awfully (informal), greatly
Antonyms: slightly, minimally, scarcely, hardly
Interjection
Definition 1: (Vulgar, informal) Used to express a strong feeling, especially anger, frustration, surprise, or disappointment.
Synonyms: damn, hell, shoot (euphemism), wow (for surprise), ugh (for disgust)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms as it's an expression of emotion)
Examples of Use
Books:
"The older you get, the more you realize that everything is just, like, 'Oh, this is some more shit I have to deal with.'" (From The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* by Mark Manson, September 2016)
"He didn't give a shit about money, only about the work itself." (From The Martian by Andy Weir, February 2014)
Newspapers/Online Publications:
"As for all the political shit going on, it’s just noise.” (Reported quote in an opinion piece on national politics, The Guardian, May 2024)
"When the shit hit the fan, he was the first one out the door." (Describing a chaotic situation, New York Post, July 2023)
"Don't give me that shit, I know you were there." (Dialogue in a crime report, Chicago Tribune, March 2024)
"This new software update is complete shit; it keeps crashing." (User review on a tech blog, TechCrunch, January 2025)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." (While the original line from Gone with the Wind uses "damn," a modern, more explicit remake or parody might substitute "shit" for comedic or dramatic effect, as in "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a shit.")
Television (Drama): "You think this is a game? This ain't no game, this is real shit." (Dialogue from Breaking Bad, Season 3, April 2010)
Television (Comedy): "Oh, for shit's sake, not again!" (A character reacting to a recurring annoying event in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season 11, October 2021)
Music (Lyrics): "Talkin' that shit, I'm a tell you to quit it." (From the song "HUMBLE." by Kendrick Lamar, March 2017)
Podcasts: "We were just talking about some random shit, you know, just catching up." (Informal conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience, June 2024)
Video Games: "Holy shit! Did you see that explosion?" (Character dialogue in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, November 2023)
General Public Discourse:
"I've got a lot of shit to do today, so I can't stay long." (Heard in a casual conversation between colleagues, May 2025)
"That's some good shit right there!" (Referring to a delicious meal at a restaurant, April 2025)
"The whole situation just went to shit after he left." (Describing a deteriorating situation among friends, February 2025)
"You're full of shit if you think I believe that." (A dismissive retort in an argument, January 2025)
"I accidentally stepped in some dog shit on my way here." (Common complaint in a public park, March 2025)
10 Famous Quotes Using Shit
"Life happens. Shit happens. And it happens a lot. To a lot of people." (Colleen Hoover, Slammed, January 2012)
"Just keep moving forward and don't give a shit about what anybody thinks." (Johnny Depp)
"The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club. The third rule of Fight Club is: someone yells stop, goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule: one fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule: no shirts, no shoes. Seventh rule: fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first night at Fight Club, you have to fight. 1Goddammit, I don't give a shit!" (Tyler Durden, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, August 1996)
"I'm too old for this shit." (Common idiom, famously used in Lethal Weapon and Get Hard)
"I'm going to have to science the shit out of this!" (Mark Watney, The Martian by Andy Weir, February 2014)
"Oh, shit it's shit." (Stephen King, Different Seasons, August 1982)
"You don't know shit from shinola." (American idiom, meaning to be ignorant)
"It's all shits and giggles until someone giggles and shits." (Attributed to various sources, common saying)
"This is the shit!" (Informal expression for something excellent, widely used)
"Resistance is always lying and always full of shit." (Steven Pressfield, The War of Art, April 2002)
Etymology
The word "shit" has a very old and interesting history! It's been around in the English language for a long, long time, tracing its roots all the way back to ancient times.
In simple terms, its origin comes from the idea of "separation" or "cutting." Imagine something being cut or separated from the body – that's the core concept.
Ancient Roots: The word can be traced back to a very old language called Proto-Indo-European (PIE), which is like the great-grandparent of many languages spoken today. The PIE root for "shit" was something like *skheid-, meaning "to cut, split, or separate."
Germanic Connection: From PIE, it evolved into Proto-Germanic (the ancestor of English, German, Dutch, and other languages), where it was *skit-. This is why you see similar words in other Germanic languages, like German "Scheiße" or Dutch "schijt."
Old English Beginnings: In Old English (the earliest form of English, spoken before 1150 AD), the word appeared in different forms. As a noun, there was scite (meaning "dung" or "excrement," though often seen in place names) and scitte (meaning "diarrhea"). As a verb, there was scītan, meaning "to defecate."
So, the very first known meaning of the word "shit" was directly related to excrement or the act of defecating, reflecting that original idea of something being "separated" from the body. While it's considered a strong taboo word today, it wasn't always seen that way in its earliest forms. It was just a straightforward term for a bodily function and its product.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Shit
To be full of shit: To be lying or talking nonsense.
To not give a shit: To not care at all.
To get one's shit together: To organize oneself and one's affairs; to become more disciplined.
When the shit hits the fan: When a difficult or disastrous situation suddenly and publicly unfolds.
To be in deep shit: To be in a very serious predicament or trouble.
To talk shit: To boast, brag, or speak disparagingly about someone or something.
To stir up shit: To cause trouble or conflict.
To throw shit at the wall and see what sticks: To try many different things haphazardly to see what might work.
Holy shit! An exclamation of surprise, shock, or excitement.
For shit's sake: An exclamation of exasperation or frustration.
To get the shit kicked out of someone: To be severely beaten.
To scare the shit out of someone: To frighten someone intensely.
To beat the living shit out of someone: To inflict a severe beating.
To be the shit: To be excellent or outstanding.
To take a shit: To defecate.
To pull some shit: To do something bad, unfair, or mischievous.
Don't eat shit and die: (Crude and informal) A dismissive way of telling someone to stop complaining or doing something foolish.
That's my shit: (Slang) That's something I like or am good at.
To be up shit creek without a paddle: To be in a very difficult or impossible situation with no means of escape or resolution.
Same shit, different day: Expressing boredom or frustration with the repetitive nature of life or a situation.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of shit from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
