sheer

1 of 6

adjective

1
a
: unqualified, utter
sheer folly
sheer ignorance
b
: being free from an adulterant : pure, unmixed
c
: viewed or acting in dissociation from all else
in terms of sheer numbers
2
: marked by great and continuous steepness
3
: of very thin or transparent texture : diaphanous
4
obsolete : bright, shining
sheerly adverb
sheerness noun

sheer

2 of 6

noun (1)

: a sheer fabric
also : an article of such a fabric

sheer

3 of 6

adverb

1
: straight up or down without a break : perpendicularly
2
: in a complete manner : altogether

sheer

4 of 6

verb

sheered; sheering; sheers

intransitive verb

: to deviate from a course : swerve

transitive verb

: to cause to sheer

sheer

5 of 6

noun (2)

1
: a turn, deviation, or change in a course (as of a ship)
2
: the position of a ship riding to a single anchor and heading toward it

sheer

6 of 6

noun (3)

: the fore-and-aft curvature from bow to stern of a ship's deck as shown in side elevation
Choose the Right Synonym for sheer

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular.

steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill
a steep dive

abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

Examples of sheer in a Sentence

Adjective a sheer drop to the sea we had to get window shades because passersby could see right through our sheer curtains Adverb mountains rising sheer from the plains Verb the cruise ship sheered to the northwest, putting it safely out of the path of the hurricane the car sheered to avoid hitting the dog
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
But the passengers who plunked down $1,800 to $100,000 and boarded the ship at Port Miami in Florida on Jan. 27, said nothing could have prepared them for the vessel’s sheer scale. Ceylan Yeğinsu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 For example, there's a night scene when Arthur barks Lassie-like to stop Michael from walking over a sheer cliff just feet away. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024 From cross-border drone strikes to the former Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s march on Moscow and the sheer human cost of sustaining its military, the Kremlin has not been able to isolate its population from the effects of the conflict. Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 While his initial invasion of Ukraine failed, Russia has been able to claw back small gains on the land through sheer persistence as a bloody stalemate fighting wore down Kyiv and its allies. Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 This sheer mist keeps static away and has an odor neutralizer that keeps all other scents at bay. Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 13 Mar. 2024 According to fan footage, Musgraves, 35, hit the stage in a white blouse and sheer black skirt, while Bryan sported denim and played acoustic guitar — and the crowd sang every word. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 In recent seasons, sheer fabrics and pants-free styling has garnered major attention, with influential dressers, like Florence Pugh, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, championing skin-baring fashion. Alex Kessler, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 California, despite having one the most extreme housing crises in the country, builds a lot less, and part of the reason comes down to sheer developable land. Byalena Botros, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Singer and model Ebony Riley went sheer in an LBD with a plunging V-neck and cutouts on the arms. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024 Adjust the thickness of the rum glaze from sheer to thick, depending on your preference. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2023 Sweat wicking and never sheer, these are made with sustainable materials, too. Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2023
Verb
Forget the mythology of arcane discovery and honor the nobility of those who turn the ordinary to sheer magic by never compromising and never resting one iota short of perfection. Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 In pemphigus, that skin often sheers off in thin sheets. Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 7 Oct. 2023 The Bankhead Tunnel has been the site of some dramatic images such as big rigs sheered in half, or moving trucks jammed into the tunnel’s concrete entrance. John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 16 Aug. 2023 With the climate crisis impacting the temperatures and acidity of the oceans, these agile ocean creatures are sheering off their normal paths and traveling to unknown, often taxing, territories. Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 27 July 2023 The movie’s flamboyant personalities and tongue-in-cheek action push the envelope of high camp without ever succumbing to sheer silliness. Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023 Avoid sheering the tops, instead cutting back individual branches. oregonlive, 16 Apr. 2023 That leaves sheer conspicuous consumption as the main thrust of this car, and that's just too anachronistic a concept, even for a luxury cruiser, in 1986. Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 24 Apr. 2023 The impact of the crash had sheered off the concrete pole at the bottom, according to Bright. Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2023
Noun
The star wore a dreamy sheer and metallic Elie Saab Couture gown with cutout details and beading all over. Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 The controversial new unis have a lighter feel that also have a look that is more, um, sheer. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2024 If Monét was a Grammy statuette, Miley Cyrus was a golden warrior in a sheer, chain mesh look, her hair giving a ’70s bouffant vibe. Leanne Italie, Twin Cities, 4 Feb. 2024 Ethan Miller, Getty Images For ABC At the previous year's Grammys on Feb. 11, 2011, Rihanna rocked a sheer, off-the-shoulder Jean Paul Gaultier gown. Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024 Actress Ariana DeBose, 32, also drew attention in her black blazer with a sheer, lace skirt overlay. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024 Other popular finishes include matte, metallic, milky, opaque, pearl, and sheer. UV Lamp Unlike salon gel polish, not all at-home gel polish needs a UV lamp to dry. Addie Morton, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2024 The vibrant color popped against Stone’s custom sheer yellow embellished gown, which was also created by the label. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 13 Dec. 2023 Although Dunn recently traded away his pen for garden sheers, the book giveaway will be a key component of Saturday’s festivities. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 2 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sheer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English schere freed from guilt, probably alteration of skere, from Old Norse skærr pure; akin to Old English scīnan to shine

Verb

perhaps alteration of shear entry 1

Noun (3)

perhaps alteration of shear entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun (1)

circa 1920, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1539, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1691, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sheer was in 1539

Dictionary Entries Near sheer

Cite this Entry

“Sheer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheer. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sheer

1 of 4 adjective
1
: very thin or transparent
sheer stockings
2
a
: being such to the fullest degree : utter
sheer nonsense
b
: taken or acting apart from everything else
by sheer force
3
: very steep : being almost straight up and down
a sheer drop to the sea
sheerly adverb
sheerness noun

sheer

2 of 4 adverb
1
: in a complete manner : altogether
2
: straight up or down with no break : perpendicularly

sheer

3 of 4 verb
: to swerve from a course

sheer

4 of 4 noun
: a turn or change in the course of a ship
Etymology

Adjective

from earlier sheer "shining," from Middle English sheer "freed from guilt," probably from an early Norse word skærr "pure"

Verb

perhaps an altered form of shear "to cut, cut off"

More from Merriam-Webster on sheer

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