SHEARED Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

sheared

verb

Definition of sheared

past tense of shear

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sheared Cotton/polyester fleece are brushed, sheared and sueded for a buttery soft hand feel. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 28 July 2026 The force of the crash sheared the seatbelt Miller was wearing, and he was thrown from the vehicle. — Alex Andrejev, New York Times, 17 July 2026 Second, victims of higher taxes don’t stand still and get sheared like obedient sheep. — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 With the jet tipped on its side and nearly sheared in half, several people managed to climb out it while a firefighter using a small ladder rescued the last remaining passenger who appeared to be unconscious. — ABC News, 17 June 2026 Drivers who came upon the burning plane, which was nearly sheared in half and tipped on its side, captured dramatic rescue scenes on video or rushed toward the aircraft on foot to help. — CBS News, 17 June 2026 It can be sheared into a formal hedge or shaped into a ball. — Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 June 2026 Anchusa plants look better and self-seed less if sheared back after flowering. — Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 9 May 2026 Up next was pineapple, its spikes thoughtfully sheared smooth and cut into spears. — Literary Hub, 8 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheared

Verb

Joe Mack shaved the Marlins’ deficit to 5-3 with a two-run homer off AJ Blubaugh in the seventh, his ninth home run of the season and second of the series.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Giffords was hooked up to tubes and monitors, and her head was shaved.

— Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Definition of shaved

Verb

The scramble for capacity is already spilling into the capital markets, where the risk gets sliced up and sold to investors as catastrophe bonds.

— Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
With that knife, Bland stabbed her husband in the head and neck — and, afterward, sliced her teenage daughter in the forearm as the teen tried to get Emii from Bland, the report says.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

Definition of sliced

Verb

At the same time, the data shows, courts have severely cut the length of time many people are getting to prepare for complex immigration proceedings, from about six months to often just a little more than a month.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
Using a paring knife, mark a smaller square inside each pastry square, leaving a 1/2 inch border (do not cut all the way through the dough).

— Torie Cox, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

In the second hour of Thursday’s practice Gordon committed his second fumble in two days when cornerback Chris Johnson ripped the ball out, and recovered it.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
The ferocious biting and pulling had broken the webbing and ripped the holster from my body.

— Todd Orr, Outdoor Life, 30 July 2026

Definition of ripped

Verb

During the same period, state lawmakers have cut top personal income tax rates 210 times and slashed corporate tax rates 168 times.

— Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 30 July 2026
Then, weeks after the conflict broke out, the country abruptly slashed its oil purchases, eventually cutting them by half compared with prewar levels.

— Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026

Definition of slashed

Verb

Planners trimmed the project's scope to a height of 317 feet and 752 hotel rooms, down from the original proposal of 406 feet and 874 rooms, according to industry publication NVBEX.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026
The Wuthering Heights actress stunned in a flowy butter yellow silk tank top, which featured micro yellow straps and was trimmed with ornate white eyelet lace along the neckline and hemline.

— Lara Walsh, InStyle, 26 July 2026

Definition of trimmed

Verb

According to the artist who made it, John Buckley, and the owner of the home pierced by the shark, Bill Heine, the work was meant as a protest against the recent bombing of Libya, nuclear power and nuclear war, among other things.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
In his season of DWTS, Irwin opened up about navigating grief after the death of his father Steve Irwin, who died in 2006 after being pierced by a stingray barb.

— Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026

Definition of pierced

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“Sheared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheared. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of sheared

verb

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