sheer

1 of 6

adjective

1
a
: unqualified, utter
sheer folly
sheer ignorance
b
: being free from an adulterant : pure, unmixed
c
: viewed or acting in dissociation from all else
in terms of sheer numbers
2
: marked by great and continuous steepness
3
: of very thin or transparent texture : diaphanous
4
obsolete : bright, shining
sheerly adverb
sheerness noun

sheer

2 of 6

noun (1)

: a sheer fabric
also : an article of such a fabric

sheer

3 of 6

adverb

1
: straight up or down without a break : perpendicularly
2
: in a complete manner : altogether

sheer

4 of 6

verb

sheered; sheering; sheers

intransitive verb

: to deviate from a course : swerve

transitive verb

: to cause to sheer

sheer

5 of 6

noun (2)

1
: a turn, deviation, or change in a course (as of a ship)
2
: the position of a ship riding to a single anchor and heading toward it

sheer

6 of 6

noun (3)

: the fore-and-aft curvature from bow to stern of a ship's deck as shown in side elevation
Choose the Right Synonym for sheer

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular.

steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill
a steep dive

abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

Examples of sheer in a Sentence

Adjective a sheer drop to the sea we had to get window shades because passersby could see right through our sheer curtains Adverb mountains rising sheer from the plains Verb the cruise ship sheered to the northwest, putting it safely out of the path of the hurricane the car sheered to avoid hitting the dog
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
At the very least, Bethesda deserves some credit for its sheer influence on meme humor and internet culture—and the hilarity its mad games bring. Will Bedingfield, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2023 Here, 15 sheer dresses to try out the look this season. Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 8 Sep. 2023 Even so, several women at Tulane expressed to me their sense that the gender ratio left them with fewer options, in sheer numbers and in the kinds of relationships available to them. Susan Dominus, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023 The process was further complicated by the sheer number of people who were initially missing following the wildfire. Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023 While popular, Saddle Mountain is considered a more hardy excursion, with no drinking water, sheer cliffs and lots of exposure to the elements. oregonlive, 7 Sep. 2023 Chopra’s dress—sheer and intricately spangled, revealing a high-waist lingerie set beneath—was taken from Giambattista Valli’s fall 2023 collection. Daniel Rodgers, Glamour, 7 Sep. 2023 The displays of chests, thighs and cheeks on every body type in sequins or sheer shirts answered the evening’s call to freedom of body, movement and expression. Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023 Their movements, their actions, and their sheer presence alter the seascape. Jon Stojan, Detroit Free Press, 29 Aug. 2023
Adverb
Sweat wicking and never sheer, these are made with sustainable materials, too. Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2023
Verb
The Bankhead Tunnel has been the site of some dramatic images such as big rigs sheered in half, or moving trucks jammed into the tunnel’s concrete entrance. John Sharp | Jsharp@al.com, al, 16 Aug. 2023 With the climate crisis impacting the temperatures and acidity of the oceans, these agile ocean creatures are sheering off their normal paths and traveling to unknown, often taxing, territories. Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 27 July 2023 The movie’s flamboyant personalities and tongue-in-cheek action push the envelope of high camp without ever succumbing to sheer silliness. Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023 Avoid sheering the tops, instead cutting back individual branches. oregonlive, 16 Apr. 2023 That leaves sheer conspicuous consumption as the main thrust of this car, and that's just too anachronistic a concept, even for a luxury cruiser, in 1986. Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 24 Apr. 2023 The impact of the crash had sheered off the concrete pole at the bottom, according to Bright. Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2023 Another option: take this knowledge to your nail salon, find a brown polish that suits your skin tone, ask your artist to thin it out (this, Bieber says, is one of her favourite tricks to sheer out the pigment), then ask for a chrome powder over top. Megan Decker, refinery29.com, 20 Sep. 2022 Or, more aptly, the viewpoint is that if there are drivers that are sheep, while the drivers that are the wolves will surely and axiomatically sheer them. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2021
Noun
Supporters gleefully predicted the sheer buzz from a splashy announcement - live on Twitter - would rival Donald Trump’s 2015 ride down a golden escalator. Hannah Knowles, Josh Dawsey, Michael Scherer and Marianne Levine, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 16 July 2023 It was created by Black people’s sheer will to exist. Dallasnews.com Staff, Dallas News, 15 June 2023 This lightweight oil0-free formula goes on sheer and won't aggravate sensitive or acne-prone skin. Brian Underwood, Women's Health, 9 June 2023 Jenner, trailing ahead, wore a brown sheer Paloma Wool off-the-shoulder top paired with a Blumarine brown shearling mini skirt and boots. Zizi Strater, Peoplemag, 15 May 2023 The model was wearing a sheer, sleeveless royal blue dress that clung tightly to her torso, rising into a mock turtleneck. Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 29 Apr. 2023 Having to dodge a bike license is a short-term inconvenience which would be worth it when the sheer ridiculous of it ultimately bites him in the ass. Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 22 Mar. 2023 For her date look, Rihanna wore a high-neck sheer Alaïa bodysuit over matching skirt pants from the fashion house. Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 25 Apr. 2023 In a black sheer mesh one-shoulder gown with a black choker adorned with a 3-D tropical flower, alongside strappy sandals, silver stud earrings, and a coordinating black clutch, for Lori Harvey's 26th birthday bash in Los Angeles. Harper's BAZAAR, 7 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sheer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English schere freed from guilt, probably alteration of skere, from Old Norse skærr pure; akin to Old English scīnan to shine

Verb

perhaps alteration of shear entry 1

Noun (3)

perhaps alteration of shear entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Noun (1)

circa 1920, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1539, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (2)

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1691, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sheer was in 1539

Dictionary Entries Near sheer

Cite this Entry

“Sheer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheer. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

sheer

1 of 4 adjective
1
: very thin or transparent
sheer stockings
2
a
: being such to the fullest degree : utter
sheer nonsense
b
: taken or acting apart from everything else
by sheer force
3
: very steep : being almost straight up and down
a sheer drop to the sea
sheerly adverb
sheerness noun

sheer

2 of 4 adverb
1
: in a complete manner : altogether
2
: straight up or down with no break : perpendicularly

sheer

3 of 4 verb
: to swerve from a course

sheer

4 of 4 noun
: a turn or change in the course of a ship
Etymology

Adjective

from earlier sheer "shining," from Middle English sheer "freed from guilt," probably from an early Norse word skærr "pure"

Verb

perhaps an altered form of shear "to cut, cut off"

More from Merriam-Webster on sheer

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