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

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

Germany’s biggest automaker is planning a massive restructuring and cost-cutting program in response to intensifying competition from Chinese electric vehicle makers and higher tariffs on its exports to the United States.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
The formidable shadow pool, cut by black liquid liner, was juxtaposed with light brown brows and bubblegum blush on the apples of her cheeks.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 24 July 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

As soon as the duo walked out the door, all script pages that featured the Kardashian scene were ripped away and thrown in a trash can.

— Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Krinks has seen more security cameras installed around public parks and benches ripped out of the ground in downtown Nashville.

— Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 21 July 2026

Definition of ripped

Verb

Hamilton, minding his own business, had nowhere to go, and Russell clipped him and then spun into the gravel trap.

— Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026
The Briton was trying to overtake Hamilton around the outside when the Ferrari clipped the rear of his Mercedes and sent him spinning into the gravel.

— Yara Elshebiny, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of clipped

Verb

During one particularly violent encounter in June 2024, China Coast Guard personnel brandished axes at Philippine troops and slashed their rubber boats.

— Ivan Watson, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
But after the United States slashed its foreign aid funding last year, Lama and more than 280,000 aid workers worldwide found themselves out of a job.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026

Definition of slashed

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 28 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of sheared

verb

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