Meaning & use
the shin
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Meaning
nouncountable
The front part of the leg between the knee and the ankle.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a shin', 'the shin', or 'shins'. Often used with 'on' or 'in': a pain in the shin.
Patterns
- the shin
- a shin
- on the shin
- in the shin
He bruised his shin while playing football.
She has a small scar on her left shin.
The shin is made up of the tibia bone and the muscles around it.
Word forms
| plural | shins |
|---|
Common combinations
- bruise your shin
- I bruised my shin on the coffee table.
- shin bone
- The shin bone is called the tibia.
- shin splints
- Runners often get shin splints after too much training.
- a kick in the shins
- The child gave his brother a kick in the shins.
- bark your shin
- She barked her shin climbing over the wall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tibia
- The medical name for the shin bone; use 'shin' in everyday talk.
- lower leg
- A broader term for the whole part of the leg below the knee, including the calf.
Word family
- shinny verb
- To climb something by pulling yourself up with your arms and legs, often used with 'up'.
Commonly confused: the shin or chin? the shin or calf?
the shin vs chin
The chin is the part of the face below the mouth. 'Shin' is part of the leg.
the shin vs calf
The calf is the back of the lower leg, while the shin is the front.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'shin' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A bruise on the shin is a common injury because the shin is the front of the lower leg. Option 1 is odd because you do not usually break a shin while eating. Option 2 is wrong because the back of the lower leg is the calf. Option 3 is wrong because a hat is worn on the head, not the shin.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the shin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.