The meaning of SHIRE is an administrative subdivision; especially : a county in England.

The suffix -shire is attached to most of the names of English, Scottish and Welsh counties. It tends not to be found in the names of shires that were pre-existing divisions.

SHIRE definition: 1. a county, now used in combination in the names of many British counties: 2. the central rural…. Learn more.

Shire, draft horse breed native to the middle section of England. The breed descended from the English “great horse,” which carried men in full battle armour that often weighed as much as 400 pounds.

The Shires or the shire counties are the counties of England that have a lot of countryside and farms. Smart country people are fleeing back to the shires.

shire (ʃaɪər) n. 1. one of the counties of Great Britain. 2. the Shires, the counties in the Midlands in which hunting is esp. popular.

There are 13 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun shire, six of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Definition of shire noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia. It is generally synonymous with county.

Dec 8, 2025 · Originally each shire was overseen by an ealdorman, who was charged with raising levies and perhaps also overseeing the local court (though the evidence is scant on the latter point). At the …