a shade

phrase

: a bit : a little
He is just a shade taller than his brother.

Examples of a shade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
What reads at a casual distance as serene maternal tenderness shifts, on closer inspection, into something more ambivalent—a shade of melancholy that surfaces only when the eye lingers on Mary’s face. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 But revenue at the company’s container shipping segment soared 22 percent to a shade under $10 billion, mainly reflecting an average revenue of $1,575 per 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) transported. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 4 Aug. 2026 Skies over portions of North and central Georgia are a shade darker Friday because of wildfires that started many miles away in Canada. — Alex Nettles, AJC.com, 31 July 2026 Use a shade cloth if needed to protect young or newly planted shrubs or sensitive rhododendrons or hydrangeas. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for a shade

Rhymes for a shade

See All Rhymes for a shade

Browse Nearby Words

ash
a shade
a shadow of (a) doubt
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“A shade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20shade. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of baptism of fire

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All