To shed means to let something fall off or get rid of it naturally. When a snake sheds its skin, the old outer layer peels away to reveal fresh skin underneath. Dogs and cats shed their fur, leaving loose hair on your clothes and furniture, especially in spring and summer when they don't need their thick winter coats anymore. Trees shed their leaves in autumn, and you might shed tears when you're sad or even when you're laughing really hard.

The word suggests a gradual, natural process rather than something violent or forced. You don't shed something by ripping it off; instead, it falls away on its own when the time is right. A deer sheds its antlers each year, and they simply drop off before new ones grow in.

People also use “shed” in a figurative way. You might shed a bad habit, like biting your nails, or shed your shyness as you get older and more confident. A company might shed workers during hard times, meaning it has to let people go. When someone asks you to shed some light on a confusing topic, they're asking you to explain it in a way that makes it clearer.

A shed (the noun) is a simple, small building used for storage, like a garden shed where you keep tools, lawn mowers, and bikes.