Meaning & use
shared
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Used, owned or experienced by two or more people together rather than by one alone.
Grammar: Usually comes before the noun: a shared kitchen, not a kitchen that is shared.
Patterns
- a shared something
- shared between people
The two students lived in a shared apartment near campus.
We have a shared love of old movies.
A shared sense of humor kept the team going through the long project.
adjectivebefore a noun
Held in common by a group, as with values, goals or history.
Grammar: Often pairs with abstract nouns such as goals, values and responsibility.
Patterns
- shared by everyone
- shared with someone
Their shared history made it easy to trust each other.
The report calls for shared responsibility among all the neighboring towns.
Shared values, not just a shared office, held the company together.
Common combinations
- shared interest
- A shared interest in hiking brought the neighbors together.
- shared experience
- Going through the storm was a shared experience that bonded the group.
- shared goal
- With a shared goal, the two rival teams finally cooperated.
- shared accommodation
- Many graduates live in shared accommodation to save money.
- shared custody
- After the divorce, the parents agreed on shared custody.
Synonyms and how they differ
- joint
- Joint is common with formal ownership or effort, as in a joint account, whereas shared suits everyday use too.
- common
- Common describes something belonging to everyone in a group, often more broadly, such as common ground.
- communal
- Communal suggests facilities used by a whole community or group, like a communal garden, a bigger scale than shared.
Opposites
Word family
- share verb
- To have or use something together with others.
- sharing noun
- The act of letting others have or use something.
- sharer noun
- A person who shares.
- timeshare noun
- Holiday property owned jointly by several people who each use it for a set time.
Commonly confused: shared or shred?
shared vs shred
Shred means to cut into thin strips, or a tiny piece. It looks similar but means something quite different.
Practice
The roommates split the rent and used one ___ bathroom.
Choose one answer.
Shared is the adjective that means used by more than one person. Sharing, share and shares do not work as an adjective before a noun in this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shared”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.