shear

1 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 bob, crop, cut, cut back, dock, lop (off), nip, pare, poll, prune, shave, clip, snip, trimRelated Words skive, whittle; manicure, mow; pinch, stump; curtail, shortenNear Antonyms elongate, extend, lengthen

2 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 gash, incise, rip, cut, slash, slice, slitRelated Words crosscut, hacksaw, saw, scissor; cleave, rive, split; pierce, stab; bruise, butcher, hack, haggle, lacerate, mangle; rend, tear; carve, chip, chisel, notch; anatomize, dissect, section; chop, dice, mince; amputate, cut off, sever