1
as in to shave
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
it took almost a week to shear all the wool off the flock of sheep
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to slit
to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife)
the shark's razor-sharp teeth sheared the swimmer's flesh right down to the bone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shear
Nearly all the materials used to build the lodge were sourced locally: pine harvested sustainably from the surrounding forests, wool sheared from the sheep that graze in the pastures outside, stone from nearby quarries.
—
Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2025
In Lincoln’s time, people in the town would shear their sheep, wash the fleece and card the wool using the mill.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
The concrete had sheared away and the pipe was rusted through.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix Stepping beyond the practicality of rubber clogs—no thorns in feet or shearing injuries here, Netflix!—Meghan seems to be embracing the wider shift toward slip-on styles.
—Olivia Allen, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shear
Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2025
In Lincoln’s time, people in the town would shear their sheep, wash the fleece and card the wool using the mill.
—Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
The concrete had sheared away and the pipe was rusted through.
—Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix Stepping beyond the practicality of rubber clogs—no thorns in feet or shearing injuries here, Netflix!—Meghan seems to be embracing the wider shift toward slip-on styles.
—Olivia Allen, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shear
Verb
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The index dipped only slightly, but that nonetheless shaved off some gains from what could have been a higher high.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
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This was in the days when only lunatics or scary white punks had shaved heads.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Satomi followed her 11-year-old friend to a nearby study room, where — after drawing the curtains — the girl slit Satomi’s throat with a box cutter and kicked her in the head and sides, The Washington Post reported.—
Christine Pelisek,
People.com,
15 June 2025
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Then, the family members would drag their victim to a hidden cellar on the property and slit the victim’s throat, leaving them there to die.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
1 June 2025
Verb
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The prospect of trying to cut open a stubborn 5-4-1 block in the Orlando heat could have become torturous quite quickly.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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In February, the agency announced plans to cut 7,000 of the agency’s 57,000 employees ‒ more than 10% of staff ‒ in response to President Trump’s executive orders.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The pair later sliced into a two-tiered wedding cake topped with fresh grapes and figs.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
23 June 2025
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Most of these pristine hailstones go directly to a cold lab in Colorado, where they are sliced with a hot wire band saw.—
Seth Borenstein,
Christian Science Monitor,
23 June 2025
Verb
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There had been rumors that Brown could be traded this offseason, as the Celtics continue to trim a significant amount of money off their books.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
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The Pacers showed their trademark determination and never quit, trimming the deficit down to 10 points with two-and-a-half minutes left.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN Money,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, boats all along the southwest shore were being swamped or ripped from their moorings and piling up on rocks or beaches, often crashing into other vessels.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2025
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And, Roman says, a vital support system was ripped away: public services.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Pinch-hitter Jose Tabata fouled off a pair of 2-2 pitches before Scherzer clipped him on the elbow with a breaking ball.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
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In one snap, the proud mom can be seen sitting in a pair of pajamas with her hair halfway clipped up as Santi sits on her lap, smiling at the camera.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Norms are being shattered, aid budgets for the poorest and most vulnerable are being slashed, and for the first time in a generation, extreme poverty has been on the rise.—
Michael Sheldrick,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Trump also suggested that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — the cost-cutting division unpopular among Americans that Musk led before exiting the administration in late May — might consider slashing incentives that Musk’s companies receive from the U.S. government.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shear. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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