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 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 The tiny leaves are easily sheared and sculpted into any shape. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 5 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheared

Verb

The Braves are still trying to wiggle out of a mid-season rut, and have shaved their lead in the NL East to just three games ahead of the Phillies.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Schaffer said Reiner shaved his trademark beard for the sketch, which filmed on November 13, just a month before Rob and Michele were killed inside their home; their son Nick was arrested and charged with the murders.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2026

Definition of shaved

Verb

The post-World War II period is sometimes thought of as a golden age, for the economic pie both grew and was sliced more equally.

— Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
The magazine’s anatomically graphic photos—rats butchered alive, dogs with their faces sliced open, monkeys screaming at the electrodes implanted in their abdomens—seemed like windows into hell.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Definition of sliced

Verb

The first due to a slip from Porro, which allowed Andy Robertson to cut the ball back for McTominay.

— Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 18 July 2026
The Odyssey’s crew is full of longtime Nolan collaborators, from cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who has worked with Nolan since Interstellar, to editor Jennifer Lame, who previously cut Tenet and Oppenheimer.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

By that time thousands of ground-penetrating bombs had ripped through the subsoil with the seismic force of small earthquakes.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
In 2018, the Camp fire ripped through Butte County, burning 150,000 acres and killing 85 people.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of ripped

Verb

Shapiro clipped several comments from Vance about the GOP’s duty to counter the rise of socialism among young people in the United States.

— Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 17 July 2026
Officials shut down Markham Street between Barton and Thayer streets Monday evening after the truck clipped the bottom of the bridge, city traffic operations technician Chong Lor said Tuesday morning.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 July 2026

Definition of clipped

Verb

Iran struck a pumping station on Saudi’s pipeline to the Red Sea in April, which slashed throughput by 700,000 bpd.

— Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 16 July 2026
During O’Neill’s time at the helm, Kennedy slashed the number of diseases covered in the pediatric immunization schedule, altered the CDC website to include inaccurate information and packed a key CDC advisory committee with vaccine skeptics.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of slashed

Verb

Newsom trimmed California’s initial commitment to local newsrooms in the program’s first year from $100 million, with $55 million coming from Google, to $10 million, from the state and Google each, in response to budgetary constraints.

— Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Bernstein even trimmed it to Market Perform recently on some near-term demand caution.

— Todd Gordon, CNBC, 14 July 2026

Definition of trimmed

Verb

In his first international meeting with England, Messi had a pair of assists on two late-match daggers that pierced through the hearts of Three Lions’ players and supporters.

— Gavin Godfrey, AJC.com, 16 July 2026
Finally, in 2024 in Chicago, in an accidental shooting, the same bullet pierced a 16-year-old boy and a policeman.

— Cal Chengqi Fang, The Conversation, 14 July 2026

Definition of pierced

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“Sheared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheared. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of sheared

verb

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