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Definition of shear
sheared
;sheared
orshorn
play \ˈshȯrn\;shearing
transitive verb
1a : to cut off the hair fromb : to cut or clip (hair, wool, etc.) from someone or something; also : to cut something from shear a lawnc chiefly Scotland : to reap with a sickled : to cut or trim with shears or a similar instrument
2 : to cut with something sharp
3 : to deprive of something as if by cutting lives shorn of any hope — M. W. Browne
4a : to subject to a shear forceb : to cause (something, such as a rock mass) to move along the plane of contact
intransitive verb
1 : to cut through something with or as if with a sharp instrument
2 chiefly Scotland : to reap crops with a sickle
3 : to become divided under the action of a shear
shearer
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
Examples of shear in a Sentence
The farmers sheared the sheep.
The farmers sheared the wool from the sheep.
Recent Examples of shear from the Web
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Grab Your Kitchen ShearsPut your whole chicken on a cutting board, legs facing you, and grab some kitchen shears.
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A blade had sheared off an engine, the captain told passengers at one point, according to Perth Now.
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The impact sheared a light pole that landed on the truck, and which then ran into a tree, the CHP said.
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The HMAS Melbourne, an aircraft carrier, collided with the destroyer HMAS Voyager, shearing the much smaller vessel in half and killing 82 of the Voyager's crew.
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Whales like Basilosaurus were active predators, gripping and shearing their prey with mouths fitted with differentiated teeth.
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His sled passed under a moving car and shot out the other side safely, but the car’s underside sheared his scalp.
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Also, as with Swift, Perry necessarily shears these sounds from their original social context—what had been outré, what had been future shock, is now centrist.
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The school building was used as a community meeting place until the late 1950s when Hurricane Hazel sheared off the top floor.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shear'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of shear
Middle English sheren, from Old English scieran; akin to Old Norse skera to cut, Latin curtus mutilated, curtailed, Greek keirein to cut, shear, Sanskrit kṛnāti he injures
shear
Definition of shear
1a (1) : a cutting implement similar or identical to a pair of scissors but typically larger —usually used in plural (2) : one blade of a pair of shearsb : any of various cutting tools or machines operating by the action of opposed cutting edges of metal —usually used in pluralc (1) : something resembling a shear or a pair of shears (2) : a hoisting apparatus consisting of two or sometimes more upright spars fastened together at their upper ends and having tackle for masting or dismasting ships or lifting heavy loads (such as guns) —usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
2 chiefly British : the action or process or an instance of shearing —used in combination to indicate the approximate age of sheep in terms of shearings undergone
3a : internal force tangential to the section on which it acts —called also shearing forceb : an action or stress resulting from applied forces that causes or tends to cause two contiguous parts of a body to slide relatively to each other in a direction parallel to their plane of contact
Recent Examples of shear from the Web
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Cunanan's third victim was 75-year-old real-estate tycoon Lee Miglin, whose throat Cunanan slashed with a saw blade as well as stabbing him in the chest with pruning shears, and wrapping his head with tan masking tape.
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Strong wind shear -- the change in wind direction and speed with height -- in the region will keep the system on the weaker side.
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During the encounter, police say Lyles armed herself with a pair of shears and threatened officers.
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Frédéric Fekkai has long put away his shears to go into business with his wife, Shirin von Wulffen.
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Spatchcocked chicken with fig glaze Serves 4 Also known as butterflying the bird, spatchcocking involves removing the chicken’s backbone with a pair of kitchen shears, and then flattening it before sliding it onto a hot grill.
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Put chicken on a stable cutting board, breast side down, and cut out the backbone using kitchen shears or a sharp chef’s knife.
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Wind shear is another roadblock for storm formation.
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Now here is the secret — put the shears away and let the hedge grow.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shear'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of shear
before 12th century
SHEAR Defined for English Language Learners
shear
playDefinition of shear for English Language Learners
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: to cut the hair, wool, etc., off (an animal)
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: to cut off (an animal's hair, wool, etc.)
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: to cut off a person's hair
SHEAR Defined for Kids
shear
playDefinition of shear for Students
sheared
;sheared
orshorn
\ˈshȯrn\;shearing
1 : to cut the hair or wool from : clip shear sheep
2 : to cut or clip (as hair or wool) from something
3 : to strip of as if by cutting The tyrants were shorn of their power.
4 : to cut or break sharply The sign was sheared off by a car.
shearer
nounLearn More about shear
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shear Spanish Central: Translation of shear Nglish: Translation of shear for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shear for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shear
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