Definition of 'shingle'. shingle (ʃɪŋgəl ) Shingle is a mass of small rough pieces of stone on the shore of a sea or a river. ...a beach of sand and shingle. Shingles is a disease in which painful red spots spread in bands over a person's body, especially around their waist. 3. countable noun. Shingles are thin pieces of wood or another material which are fixed in rows to cover a roof or wall.