shear

verb

ˈshir 

sheared; sheared or shorn ˈshȯrn  ; shearing

transitive verb

1

a

: to cut off the hair from

b

: to cut or clip (hair, wool, etc.) from someone or something

also : to cut something from

shear a lawn

c

chiefly Scotland : to reap with a sickle

d

: 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

4

a

: to subject to a shear force

b

: 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 noun

Synonyms of shear

• shave
• cut
• trim
• clip

Examples of shear in a Sentence

The farmers sheared the sheep.

The farmers sheared the wool from the sheep.

Recent Examples on the Web

Anchusa plants look better and self-seed less if sheared back after flowering. —Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 9 May 2026

Up next was pineapple, its spikes thoughtfully sheared smooth and cut into spears. —Literary Hub, 8 May 2026

The tiny leaves are easily sheared and sculpted into any shape. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 May 2026

The communications pole that was sheared in the April 2025 crash that left 19-year-old Preston Obeidin dead near Temecula. —Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing shear

• shear off
• shear pin
• wind shear

Rhymes for shear

• beer
• bier
• cheer
• clear
• dear
• deer
• drear
• ear
• fear
• fier
• gear
• hear

Kids Definition

shear

1 of 2 verb

ˈshi(ə)r 

sheared; sheared or shorn ˈshō(ə)rn 

ˈshȯ(ə)rn

; shearing

1

: to cut the hair or wool from

shearing sheep

2

: to deprive of by or as if by cutting off

shorn of power

3

: to become divided under the action of a shear

the bolt may shear off

shearer noun

shear

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a cutting tool similar or identical to a pair of scissors but typically larger

—usually used in plural

b

: any of various cutting tools or machines operating by the action of opposed cutting edges of metal

—usually used in plural

2

: an action or force that causes or tends to cause two parts of a body to slide on each other in a direction parallel to their plane of contact