shame
painful feeling of guilt or embarrassment
A very bad feeling you have when you think you did something wrong or that other people will look down on you.
to feel shame about/for [something]
- He felt deep shame after lying to his parents.
- Her face burned with shame when the mistake was pointed out in front of everyone.
- They carried the shame of what they had done for many years.
- Out of shame, he avoided everyone who knew about the incident.
- The memory still filled her with shame long after it happened.
- He felt shame after he broke the promise.
- She could not look at them because of her shame.
- The boy’s eyes were full of shame when the teacher spoke to him.
- I remember the shame I felt when I cheated on the test.
- They live with shame because of their past actions.
loss of respect or honor
A situation where a person or group loses respect from others because of bad actions.
to bring shame on/upon [someone/something]
- The cheating scandal brought shame on the entire team.
- He said he could no longer live with the shame of what he had done.
- The report described the treatment of prisoners as a national shame.
- Her actions were a great shame to her family.
- The leader resigned in shame after the corruption was exposed.
- The crime brought shame on his family.
- He left the city in shame after the news came out.
- It is a shame for the country that so many people are poor.
- They carry the shame of their past actions.
- The company’s shame was in all the newspapers.
something regrettable or unfortunate
Used for saying that something is bad, sad, or not what you wanted.
it is a shame (that) [clause]
- It’s a shame you can’t stay for dinner.
- What a shame that the concert was cancelled.
- It would be a real shame to waste such a good opportunity.
- It’s such a shame they had to close the library.
- It’s a crying shame that so many people can’t afford a home.
- It’s a shame you have to work tonight.
- What a shame that you missed the show.
- It would be a shame to throw this food away.
- It’s a real shame that they are moving.
- It’s a shame we don’t have more time.
make someone feel ashamed
To make a person feel very bad or embarrassed about what they did, often in public.
to shame [someone] (into [doing something])
- They tried to shame the company into paying fair wages.
- She felt he was only shaming her instead of helping her fix the problem.
- The report shamed the government by revealing years of failures.
- He was shamed in front of the whole class for copying the homework.
- Activists used social media to name and shame polluting firms.
- The teacher did not want to shame the boy in front of the class.
- They tried to shame the manager into changing the rules.
- The story in the news shamed the company.
- I don’t want to shame him; I just want him to understand.
- She felt shamed by her friends’ comments.
sense of decency or modesty
The normal feeling that stops a person from doing bad, rude, or selfish things, because they would feel ashamed.
to have (no) shame
- He has no shame; he’ll lie to anyone to get what he wants.
- Where is your sense of shame, talking like that to your parents?
- She asked the question without the slightest shame.
- They begged for money on the street without shame.
- The ad seems to celebrate greed and a total lack of shame.
- He has no shame; he takes money from his friends and never pays it back.
- She spoke without shame about her selfish plans.
- You should have some shame when you talk to your teacher.
- They did it with no shame at all.
- He lost all shame when he started to cheat people.
spoken reaction of sympathy/disapproval
A word you say to show you feel sorry about something bad, or that you think someone’s behavior is bad.
- “I didn’t get the job.” “Oh, shame. I know you really wanted it.”
- “He still refuses to apologize.” “Shame! He should know better.”
- The crowd shouted, “Shame!” as the politician left the building.
- “They cancelled the game because of the rain.” “Ah, shame, the kids were so excited.”
- People in the audience cried, “Shame on you! Shame!” during the speech.
- “I failed my test.” “Shame, I know you tried hard.”
- When he refused to help, people shouted, “Shame!”
- She said, “Oh shame, I wanted to see you.”
- “We lost the match again.” “Shame, maybe next time.”
- The crowd called, “Shame!” when they heard the bad news.
- Base: shame
- Plural: shame
- Base: shame
- 3rd Person Singular: shames
- Present Participle: shaming
- Past: shamed
crying shame
1very regrettable situation
Used to say that something is very sad or very wrong and should not happen.
- It’s a crying shame that so many children go to bed hungry.
- What a crying shame to waste such talent.
- It’s a crying shame that the park may be turned into a parking lot.
die of shame
1feel extreme shame
To feel extremely embarrassed or ashamed, used in an exaggerated way (you do not really die).
- I wanted to die of shame when I saw my mistake on the big screen.
- She said she would die of shame if anyone found out.
- He almost died of shame when his mother showed his baby photos to his friends.
have no shame
1completely lack shame
To not feel bad or embarrassed at all, even when doing things that most people think are wrong or rude.
- He has no shame; he lies to everyone.
- Some influencers seem to have no shame about promoting anything for money.
- She has no shame about cutting in line every day.
it’s a shame (that)
1introducing a regrettable fact
Used before a sentence to say that what you are going to say is sad, bad, or disappointing.
- It’s a shame that we don’t live closer to each other.
- It’s a shame you have to leave so early.
- It’s a shame that the museum is closed on Mondays.
more’s the shame
1emphasizing something is regrettable
An old-fashioned phrase that means ‘and that is very unfortunate’ or ‘and that should not be like that’.
- Few people read serious news anymore, more’s the shame.
- They never apologized, more’s the shame.
- He doesn’t use his talent, more’s the shame.
name and shame
1publicly expose wrongdoers
To publicly say the names of people or groups that did something wrong, in order to make them feel bad and change their behavior.
- The campaign plans to name and shame companies that pollute the river.
- Some newspapers regularly name and shame drunk drivers.
- They used social media to name and shame employers who broke the law.
put [someone/something] to shame
1make others look bad by comparison
To be much better than someone or something, so that the other person or thing looks weak or bad.
- Her homemade bread puts the store-bought kind to shame.
- The young player’s energy put the older team members to shame.
- Their kindness puts our small donation to shame.
shame on you
1telling someone to feel ashamed
Used to say strongly that you think someone did something bad or wrong and should feel ashamed.
- Shame on you for lying to your friends.
- “You cheated on the exam?” “Shame on you!”
- Shame on you if you knew and said nothing.
walk of shame
1embarrassing walk after an event
An embarrassing walk in public after doing something people may judge, for example leaving someone’s home in the morning after a one-night stand, or leaving a game after a big loss.
- He did the walk of shame back to the office after the presentation went badly.
- She joked about her walk of shame through the hotel lobby the next morning.
- Fans began the long walk of shame home after their team lost 5–0.
what a shame
1saying something is unfortunate
Used to say that you think something is sad, disappointing, or not what you wanted.
- What a shame you couldn’t come to the party.
- What a shame the weather was so bad on your holiday.
- What a shame he didn’t see her before she left.