Examples of sheer in a Sentence
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
The storm also sheered off about nearly two-thirds of the plant smokestack that measured 20 feet across and 225 feet high.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
Throughout, academic precision gives way to sheer delight over these animals, and their song and flight.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
The gel-like, nonsticky formula can be sheered out with fingertips for a soft flush or layered on with a brush for richer color saturation.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
Worth Noting: While the initial application comes off very pigmented and high-shine, this formula can be sheered out, too.
—Genevieve Cepeda, InStyle, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sheer
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Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
Throughout, academic precision gives way to sheer delight over these animals, and their song and flight.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
The gel-like, nonsticky formula can be sheered out with fingertips for a soft flush or layered on with a brush for richer color saturation.
—Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 10 May 2026
Worth Noting: While the initial application comes off very pigmented and high-shine, this formula can be sheered out, too.
—Genevieve Cepeda, InStyle, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sheer
Cite this Entry
“Sheer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheer. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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 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
from earlier sheer "shining," from Middle English sheer "freed from guilt," probably from an early Norse word skærr "pure"
perhaps an altered form of shear "to cut, cut off"
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
