shower

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A device that sprays water on you so you can wash your body, or the act of washing this way.

   Grammar: Countable; you take a shower or have a shower. The device itself is also called a shower.

   Patterns

   • take a shower
   • have a shower
   • a shower head

   I need to take a shower after my workout.

   The shower in the hotel room had very low water pressure.

   She installed a new shower with a handheld head.

2. 2nouncountable

   A brief period of rain, often light and stopping quickly.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with 'a' or in the plural for several short periods.

   Patterns

   • a rain shower
   • scattered showers
   • a shower of rain

   We got caught in a sudden shower on our walk.

   The forecast calls for scattered showers this afternoon.

   A light shower passed over the garden, just enough to wet the flowers.

3. 3nouncountable

   A party where guests give gifts to celebrate a woman who is about to get married or have a baby.

   Grammar: Countable; often used in compounds like 'baby shower' or 'bridal shower'.

   Patterns

   • a baby shower
   • a bridal shower
   • a wedding shower

   They threw a baby shower for her at the office.

   I bought a gift for my cousin's bridal shower.

   The shower was held in the backyard with games and cake.

4. 4verbintransitive

   To wash yourself by standing under a spray of water.

   Grammar: No object; you shower, or shower after doing something. For washing someone else, use 'shower someone' (transitive).

   Patterns

   • shower after something
   • shower before something

   He showers every morning before breakfast.

   I showered quickly and got dressed.

   She likes to shower after a long run.

5. 5verbtransitive or intransitivefigurative

   To give a lot of something to someone, or to fall in large amounts.

   Grammar: Can take an object: shower someone with gifts. Also used without an object for things falling: confetti showered down.

   Patterns

   • shower someone with something
   • shower something on someone
   • shower down

   The fans showered the singer with flowers.

   They showered praise on the young athlete.

   Sparks showered down from the fireworks.

Word forms

Common combinations

take a shower

I always take a shower before bed.

scattered showers

Expect scattered showers throughout the day.

baby shower

We're planning a baby shower for my sister.

shower someone with gifts

On her birthday, they showered her with gifts.

shower curtain

The shower curtain has a pattern of blue waves.

Synonyms and how they differ

downpour

Downpour means a heavy, continuous rain, while shower is lighter and often brief.

drizzle

Drizzle is very light rain that falls steadily; a shower is usually heavier and stops sooner.

bathe

Bathe means to wash in a bath or, in American English, to swim; shower specifically means washing under a spray.

Word family

showery adjective

Describing weather with frequent showers.

Commonly confused: shower or shower?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “shower”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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