1
as in to shave
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 to slit
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 shear
Barbers, equipped with shearing scissors and razors, squatted atop mats waiting to give children their first haircut, a hallowed ceremony that eliminates bad karma of past lives and ends with the kids’ shorn locks tossed into the Ganges.
—
Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
The bedding is triple sheared, and as a result, pilling is very minor.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
Sophomore Joe Teter enjoyed the honor of shearing Dunckel’s head.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
Every day year round, a farmer is working their fields, milking the cows, shearing a sheep or harvesting the fruits of their labor.
—Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shear
Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
The bedding is triple sheared, and as a result, pilling is very minor.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
Sophomore Joe Teter enjoyed the honor of shearing Dunckel’s head.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
Every day year round, a farmer is working their fields, milking the cows, shearing a sheep or harvesting the fruits of their labor.
—Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shear
Verb
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Out of the 286 original applicants, the list of finalists has been shaved down to 21, according to one of the finalists.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Mar. 2026
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The new rule will allow people who file on their own to shave up to $1,000 off their taxable income, or $2,000 for married couples who file jointly.—
Jon Bergdoll,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If it’s baked in a loaf pan, go ahead and slit the top of the batter before baking.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Mar. 2026
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Moments later, Gavalas slit his wrists, according to the complaint.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The fear, Webster said, can make young athletes avoid sport-specific movements like cutting or jumping even after physical clearance.—
Ian McMahan,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
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Worries have gotten so high that traders have canceled nearly all their bets that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates this year, according to data from CME Group.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Friday's high winds also left their mark on a baseball field in West Deer Township after a tree practically sliced a concession stand in two.—
Megan Shinn,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
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Or if a finger was so sliced open that the bone protruded.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Golden State trimmed the deficit to single digits early in the second half but quickly entered foul trouble, with Boston drawing five whistles in the first four minutes of the third quarter.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
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Leonard scored 12 of his points during that stint and the Clippers led by as many as 18 during the opening quarter before the Pelicans trimmed it to 40-26 on Murphy’s free throws.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Yet Grace is the one who wakes up in space, and this story emerges nonlinearly, narrative flashbacks like bursts of memory ripping through his brain, discombobulated after a long intergalactic coma.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
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The alleged thieves ripped bronze plaques and grave markers from headstones and walls of the cemetery's mausoleum.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Dash forward Makenzy Robbe drew an early penalty kick after a tackle from Legacy defender Jorelyn Carabalí clipped her.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
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Gomez parted her hair in the center and pulled the lengths up, twisted them, and clipped her hair with a medium-sized sheer white claw clip and wrapping some of the lengths over the top of the clip.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Add to this the fact that each hack, slash and gunshot loses its sting, thanks to the villains’ temporary immortality, and what you’re left with is a series of ideas for energetic action moments, strung together with little connective tissue.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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In addition, businesses got all sorts of goodies, such as favorable treatment of expensing for research and development, while funding was slashed for health-care programs, food assistance and clean-energy projects.—
Robert Burgess,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shear. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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