1
as in shaved
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
it took almost a week to shear all the wool off the flock of sheep
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sliced
to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife)
the shark's razor-sharp teeth sheared the swimmer's flesh right down to the bone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sheared
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
When money is received, the group works with wildlife managers if a location needs to be sheared, burned or bulldozed.
—Andrew Weeks, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2026
The strike on Saturday sheared the façade off several adjacent apartment blocks and shattered glass for blocks around.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
Footage from Israel's emergency service showed a large crater next to what appeared to be apartment buildings with outer walls sheared away.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
Abelias lose their natural, graceful appearance when pruned or sheared heavily.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
As the continents sheared and twisted unevenly, local forces squeezed together thin ribbons of crust and popped them up like geological meerkats, isolating and slicing them off.
—Evan Howell, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
It can be lightly sheared to maintain shape but is slow-growing and takes a long time to recover from aggressive pruning.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
The bedding is triple sheared, and as a result, pilling is very minor.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
When money is received, the group works with wildlife managers if a location needs to be sheared, burned or bulldozed.
—Andrew Weeks, Twin Cities, 10 Apr. 2026
The strike on Saturday sheared the façade off several adjacent apartment blocks and shattered glass for blocks around.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
Footage from Israel's emergency service showed a large crater next to what appeared to be apartment buildings with outer walls sheared away.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
Abelias lose their natural, graceful appearance when pruned or sheared heavily.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
As the continents sheared and twisted unevenly, local forces squeezed together thin ribbons of crust and popped them up like geological meerkats, isolating and slicing them off.
—Evan Howell, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
It can be lightly sheared to maintain shape but is slow-growing and takes a long time to recover from aggressive pruning.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
The bedding is triple sheared, and as a result, pilling is very minor.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheared
Verb
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Reiner, with his head shaved and a scruffy goatee, wore a yellow prison top with blue prison pants.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Shortly after revealing her diagnosis in February 2025, Mellencamp shaved her head to prep for surgery to remove a few of the tumors.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ein Samia and Bardala, West Bank — When the masked men sliced through the metal fence of the water-pumping station on a dark February evening and ran toward the squat building, the four workers inside panicked.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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Cut from the trompo, the marinated pork shoulder is sliced onto a corn tortilla, then topped with onions, cilantro and roasted pineapple.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the same time, Bass has proposed cutting entirely the Animal Services Department’s annual budget for food, which was $200,000 last year, and also slashing the medical supplies budget to $49,000, from $388,000 last year.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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But now that the post-pandemic boom has well and truly gone bust, just showing up with a great looking timepiece isn’t going to cut it.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Tom Holland, more celebs zap their muscles with electricity to get ripped.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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Kerfoot floated a perfect saucer pass over the defender’s stick, and Carcone ripped a one-timer into the top of the net to give Utah a 4-3 lead with just over seven minutes to play.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Edmundson, who’d lost MacKinnon on his first goal, atoned by receiving Kempe’s pass in the high slot and flicking a shot that clipped Wedgewood on its way into the net.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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It was not known which way Woods was leaning before his SUV clipped the back of a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck on a residential road in Florida, turning his vehicle on its side.—
Doug Ferguson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Energy prices have skyrocketed, economic growth forecasts have been slashed, food insecurity is back in the spotlight, and access to critical chemicals, aluminum and other products has been curtailed.—
Wendy Cutler,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
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The International Monetary Fund has slashed its economic growth forecasts for these countries and expects the economies of Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait to contract this year.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Benintendi's two-run double off Nick Sandlin (0-1) trimmed the Angels' lead to one.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
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Benintendi’s two-run double off Nick Sandlin (0-1) trimmed the Angels’ lead to one.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of the bullets pierced Bradley’s heart and lung, Meyer said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
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According to local outlet Listin Diario, Bonilla had undergone surgery to have rods and screws inserted into her back after a tumor was removed, though one screw allegedly pierced her spinal cord, leaving her immobilized from the ribs down.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sheared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheared. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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