shear off
phrasal verb
sheared off; sheared off or shorn off; shearing off; shears off
1
: to become separated suddenly because of great force
The excess weight caused the bolt to shear off.
2
: to remove (something) with great force
The impact of the crash sheared off the airplane's wing.
Examples of shear off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scars on the trunks of floodplain trees where other wood in the swiftly flowing water smacked into the tree trunk with enough force to damage the bark or even shear off the living tree.
—
Ellen Wohl
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
During a 2021 Titanic dive, Titan’s four securing bolts sheared off while being hoisted aboard the Horizon Arctic, causing the forward dome to detach and fall onto the Launch and Recovery System platform in a catastrophic mechanical failure that narrowly avoided injuring the crew.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
In 2021, when the Titan was being hoisted onto the deck of a ship, these bolts all sheared off, and the huge dome crashed down onto the sub's ocean launch platform.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Images taken after the explosion show the plant's tall tower sheared off, exposing twisted steel and torn siding.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
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Ellen Wohl
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
During a 2021 Titanic dive, Titan’s four securing bolts sheared off while being hoisted aboard the Horizon Arctic, causing the forward dome to detach and fall onto the Launch and Recovery System platform in a catastrophic mechanical failure that narrowly avoided injuring the crew.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2025
In 2021, when the Titan was being hoisted onto the deck of a ship, these bolts all sheared off, and the huge dome crashed down onto the sub's ocean launch platform.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025
Images taken after the explosion show the plant's tall tower sheared off, exposing twisted steel and torn siding.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shear off
Cite this Entry
“Shear off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shear%20off. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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