1
a
: unqualified, utter
sheer folly
sheer ignorance
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
sheerly
adverb
sheerness
noun
: a sheer fabric
also
: an article of such a fabric
1
: straight up or down without a break : perpendicularly
2
: in a complete manner : altogether
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
: the fore-and-aft curvature from bow to stern of a ship's deck as shown in side elevation
Synonyms
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
Katie Becker, Vogue, 4 May 2024
Unluckily for us, the 13-year and 17-year brood cicadas are the loudest, partially because of the sheer number of them that emerge at once.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
Ohtani, 29, and Tanaka, 28, attended the 8th annual Blue Diamond Gala at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium wearing matching black suits — Ohtani's accessorized with a white collared shirt underneath, while Tanaka opted for a design with sheer sleeves.
—Danielle Jennings, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
The album artwork showcases a depiction of the fashion-forward artist draped in a sheer scarf with a white and blue floral print.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
Pairing these accessories with a pointed-toe heel exuded sheer glamour.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 3 May 2024
Once ready to mate after their long periods of development, billions of mature periodical cicadas use soil temperature as their main cue to time their simultaneous emergence, ensuring that their sheer numbers overwhelm possible predators and that their species survives.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2024
A day later, through sheer coincidence, an upstart developer from Australia called A Tasty Pixel released Loopy Pro.
—Pete Cottell, WIRED, 2 May 2024
For the Australian premiere of her new Mad Max movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Taylor-Joy wore a mostly sheer, gold chain-mail minidress that was covered in long, arrow-like spears, thus guaranteeing that no person could come within about a foot of the actor without risking impalement.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 2 May 2024
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024
Adjust the thickness of the rum glaze from sheer to thick, depending on your preference.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2023
Sweat wicking and never sheer, these are made with sustainable materials, too.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2023
Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024
Forget the mythology of arcane discovery and honor the nobility of those who turn the ordinary to sheer magic by never compromising and never resting one iota short of perfection.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
In pemphigus, that skin often sheers off in thin sheets.
—Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 7 Oct. 2023
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
Amy Verner, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024
The star wore a dreamy sheer and metallic Elie Saab Couture gown with cutout details and beading all over.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
The controversial new unis have a lighter feel that also have a look that is more, um, sheer.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2024
If Monét was a Grammy statuette, Miley Cyrus was a golden warrior in a sheer, chain mesh look, her hair giving a ’70s bouffant vibe.
—Leanne Italie, Twin Cities, 4 Feb. 2024
Ethan Miller, Getty Images For ABC At the previous year's Grammys on Feb. 11, 2011, Rihanna rocked a sheer, off-the-shoulder Jean Paul Gaultier gown.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024
Actress Ariana DeBose, 32, also drew attention in her black blazer with a sheer, lace skirt overlay.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Other popular finishes include matte, metallic, milky, opaque, pearl, and sheer.
UV Lamp
Unlike salon gel polish, not all at-home gel polish needs a UV lamp to dry.
—Addie Morton, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2024
The vibrant color popped against Stone’s custom sheer yellow embellished gown, which was also created by the label.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 13 Dec. 2023
Adjective
The benefit to a 38-year-old like myself—the sleepy, dehydrated mother of an eight-month-old—is sheer simplicity.
—Katie Becker, Vogue, 4 May 2024
Unluckily for us, the 13-year and 17-year brood cicadas are the loudest, partially because of the sheer number of them that emerge at once.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
Ohtani, 29, and Tanaka, 28, attended the 8th annual Blue Diamond Gala at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium wearing matching black suits — Ohtani's accessorized with a white collared shirt underneath, while Tanaka opted for a design with sheer sleeves.
—Danielle Jennings, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
The album artwork showcases a depiction of the fashion-forward artist draped in a sheer scarf with a white and blue floral print.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
Pairing these accessories with a pointed-toe heel exuded sheer glamour.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 3 May 2024
Once ready to mate after their long periods of development, billions of mature periodical cicadas use soil temperature as their main cue to time their simultaneous emergence, ensuring that their sheer numbers overwhelm possible predators and that their species survives.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2024
A day later, through sheer coincidence, an upstart developer from Australia called A Tasty Pixel released Loopy Pro.
—Pete Cottell, WIRED, 2 May 2024
For the Australian premiere of her new Mad Max movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Taylor-Joy wore a mostly sheer, gold chain-mail minidress that was covered in long, arrow-like spears, thus guaranteeing that no person could come within about a foot of the actor without risking impalement.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 2 May 2024
Adverb
Singer and model Ebony Riley went sheer in an LBD with a plunging V-neck and cutouts on the arms.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024
Adjust the thickness of the rum glaze from sheer to thick, depending on your preference.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2023
Sweat wicking and never sheer, these are made with sustainable materials, too.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 18 Apr. 2023
Verb
Alpacas can produce about 5-10 pounds of strong, soft, and warm lightweight fleece per year when sheered, according to the Alpaca Owners Association.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024
Forget the mythology of arcane discovery and honor the nobility of those who turn the ordinary to sheer magic by never compromising and never resting one iota short of perfection.
—Stephen Jay Gould, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
In pemphigus, that skin often sheers off in thin sheets.
—Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 7 Oct. 2023
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
Noun
Where one theme highlights the fluidity of sheer, another illustrates how it can be worked for structure.
—Amy Verner, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2024
The star wore a dreamy sheer and metallic Elie Saab Couture gown with cutout details and beading all over.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
The controversial new unis have a lighter feel that also have a look that is more, um, sheer.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2024
If Monét was a Grammy statuette, Miley Cyrus was a golden warrior in a sheer, chain mesh look, her hair giving a ’70s bouffant vibe.
—Leanne Italie, Twin Cities, 4 Feb. 2024
Ethan Miller, Getty Images For ABC At the previous year's Grammys on Feb. 11, 2011, Rihanna rocked a sheer, off-the-shoulder Jean Paul Gaultier gown.
—Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024
Actress Ariana DeBose, 32, also drew attention in her black blazer with a sheer, lace skirt overlay.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Other popular finishes include matte, metallic, milky, opaque, pearl, and sheer.
UV Lamp
Unlike salon gel polish, not all at-home gel polish needs a UV lamp to dry.
—Addie Morton, Southern Living, 6 Feb. 2024
The vibrant color popped against Stone’s custom sheer yellow embellished gown, which was also created by the label.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 13 Dec. 2023
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.
Dictionary Entries Near sheer
Cite this Entry
“Sheer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheer. Accessed 8 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sheer
1 of 4 adjective1
: 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 adverb1
: 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"
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