shy
/ʃaɪ/
noun
- A sudden movement of fear or startle, especially by a horse.
- The horse gave a shy and nearly knocked over the fence.
- A sudden shy from the animal startled the rider.
- The trainer worked to calm the horse's shies.
- An act of throwing something; a toss.
- Her shy landed the ball right in the basket.
- With one shy, he sent the stick into the river.
- He took a shy at the target with a stone.
verb
- To move away suddenly from something because of fear or surprise.
- She shied away from the dog when it barked loudly.
- He shied back as the ball flew toward his face.
- The horse shied at the loud noise and nearly threw its rider.
- To avoid doing or becoming involved in something because of nervousness or lack of confidence.
- Don't shy from asking questions if you don't understand.
- Many people shy away from public speaking because it makes them anxious.
- He shied away from making a decision until he had more information.
- To throw something with a quick, jerky motion.
- He shied the ball back to his teammate.
- The child shied a pebble into the pond.
- She shied a snowball at the tree trunk.
adjective
- Nervous or uncomfortable around other people, especially in social situations.
- The shy child hid behind her mother when meeting new people.
- He felt too shy to speak up during the meeting.
- Many shy people find it hard to make friends at first.
- Less than the expected or required amount; short.
- The recipe calls for two cups of flour, but we are shy by half a cup.
- The fundraiser was shy of its goal by two hundred dollars.
- She is shy of her thirtieth birthday by just a few months.
- Tending to avoid or be wary of something (often used in combination, e.g., 'camera-shy').
- He is camera-shy and avoids having his picture taken.
- Some animals are naturally shy of fire.
- The cat is shy of strangers and hides when visitors come.