Meaning of shame In English

• 0 If something is described as a shame, it is disappointing or not satisfactory:

  • [ + that ] It's a (great/real) shame that the event had to be cancelled.

  • [ + to infinitive ] Have some more vegetables - it would be a shame to waste them.

  • "Douglas had to miss the school concert because he was ill." "Oh, what a shame/that's a shame!"

• 1 an uncomfortable feeling of guilt or of being ashamed because of your own or someone else's bad behaviour:

  • He said he felt no shame for what he had done.

  • The children hung/bowed their heads in shame.

  • The shame of the scandal was so great that he shot himself a few weeks later.

  • You can't go out dressed like that - have you no shame (= don't you feel ashamed about being dressed like that)?

  • He thinks there's great shame in being out of work and unable to provide for his family.

  • In some societies, if a woman leaves her husband, it brings shame on her and her family.

  • It puts me to shame that I still haven't replied to David's letter.

  • To my shame, I never wrote and thanked Mary for her present.

  • Shame on you for being so mean.

  • humorous You were in town and you didn't come and see us - shame on you!

• 2 to make someone or something seem not good by comparison:

  • Your cooking puts mine to shame.

• 3 to make someone feel ashamed, or to make someone or something lose honour and respect:

  • It shames me that I treated her so badly.

  • The behaviour of a few children has shamed the whole school.

  • A girl has shamed her library for saying she couldn't take part in a "boys only" robotics course.

  • [ + -ing verb ] The city council was shamed into taking action after criticism in the national and local media.

• 4 to be so much better than something else that the other thing seems of a low standard by comparison:

  • The school's exam results shame those of the other schools in the area.

• 5 used to express disapproval of something that a public speaker is saying:

  • To cries of "Shame!", the minister announced that taxes were being increased.

• 6 an uncomfortable feeling of guilt or of being ashamed because of your own or someone else’s bad behavior:

  • He pointed out that society needed to restore a sense of shame about certain things.

• 7 an unlucky or disappointing situation:

  • What a shame that they left just before we arrived.

  • [ + to infinitive ] Have some more vegetables – it would be a shame to waste them.

• 8 to make someone feel guilty or ashamed:

  • My aunt told us that in her day women who weren’t married by the age of 25 were considered "old maids" and were so shamed by their families that they would do anything to get married.