shack
shack Lexical Profile
shack Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A roughly built, simple, and often temporary hut or cabin.
"The fisherman spent the summer living in a small wooden shack near the edge of the lake."
• verb
To live or stay somewhere temporarily or casually, often as romantic partners (typically followed by 'up').
"After his apartment flooded, he had to shack up with his brother for a few weeks."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb, 'shack' is overwhelmingly used in the informal phrasal construction 'shack up', which often denotes moving in with a romantic partner outside of marriage or staying somewhere temporarily.
• Rhymes for shack
Word Origin & Etymology
Late 19th century, of North American origin. It is possibly derived from the Mexican Spanish word 'jacal' (from Nahuatl 'xacalli', meaning wooden hut), or alternatively a back-formation from the word 'ramshackle'.