Definition

1. Noun:

   • A structure that provides cover or protection from weather, danger, or attack: A physical place or building offering safety.
   • The state of being protected or covered; refuge: The condition of receiving safety or a place of safety.
   • Temporary housing for people without a home: A place providing basic accommodation for the homeless or displaced.

2. Verb:

   • To provide with cover or protection: To give refuge or a safe place.
   • To find or take cover; to protect oneself: To go into a place of safety.
   • To invest money in a way that reduces tax liability: (Finance) To use legal means to protect income from taxes.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The bus stop provided shelter from the sudden rain.
  • They sought shelter in the basement during the tornado warning.
  • The charity runs a night shelter for the homeless.

• Verb:

  • The old barn sheltered the hikers from the storm.
  • The rabbit sheltered under a bush.
  • Some investments can shelter your income from high taxes.

Advanced Usage

• "to take shelter": to go into a place of safety.

  • We had to take shelter from the hailstorm.

• "to give shelter to": to provide refuge for someone or something.

  • The monastery gave shelter to travelers for centuries.

• "tax shelter": (noun) a financial arrangement that legally reduces tax liability.

  • The government offers certain tax shelters for retirement savings.

Variants and Related Words

• Sheltered (adj): protected from difficulties or unpleasant realities.

  • He led a sheltered life in the countryside.

• Shelterless (adj): having no shelter; homeless.

  • The shelterless families were helped by the relief agency.

Synonyms

• Refuge: a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.
• Haven: a place of safety or refuge.
• Sanctuary: a place of refuge or safety, especially for wildlife or political refugees.
• Asylum: the protection granted by a state to someone who has left their home country as a political refugee.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Shelter from: to protect or be protected from something specific.

  • The awning sheltered us from the sun.

• Shelter in: to stay inside a place for protection.

  • Residents were advised to shelter in place during the chemical spill.

Related Idioms

• A roof over one's head: basic shelter or housing.

  • After losing his job, his main concern was keeping a roof over his family's head.

• To come in from the cold: to find shelter, safety, or acceptance.

  • After years as a freelance writer, she was happy to come in from the cold and get a stable job.

Noun

1. temporary housing for homeless or displaced persons
2. a way of organizing business to reduce the taxes it must pay on current earnings
3. the condition of being protected
   • they were huddled together for protection
   • he enjoyed a sense of peace and protection in his new home
4. protective covering that provides protection from the weather
5. a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger

Verb

1. invest (money) so that it is not taxable
2. provide shelter for
   • After the earthquake, the government could not provide shelter for the thousands of homeless people