shear pin
noun
: an easily replaceable pin inserted at a critical point in a machine and designed to break when stressed to excess
Examples of shear pin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The company said the alignment pin and a shear pin fitting assembly performed as designed during the mated portion of the flight, and only the alignment pin detached after the spaceship was released from the mothership.
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Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2024
With lawn mowers, many times people would hit something and break the shear pin.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2020
Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2024
With lawn mowers, many times people would hit something and break the shear pin.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shear pin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1931, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near shear pin
Cite this Entry
“Shear pin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shear%20pin. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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