shear

verb

ˈshir How to pronounce shear (audio)
Definition of shearnext
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

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 shear Cut individual branches rather than shearing the shrub like a hedge. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2026 The impact sheared the pole and caused the vehicle to catch fire. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Cotton/polyester fleece are brushed, sheared and sueded for a buttery soft hand feel. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 28 July 2026 The fledgling storm was affected by shearing winds that forecasters expected to prevent it from building into the kind of hurricane that can sometimes quickly develop in the Gulf just offshore. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for shear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shear
  1. shave
  2. slit
  3. cut
  4. slice
  5. trim
  6. rip
  7. clip
  8. slash
Verb
  • Those with a SacRT ticket or digital pass can get $2 shaved off their rink ticket fee.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • For pretty chocolate curls, warm a bar of milk chocolate in your pocket or hand, then shave with a sharp vegetable peeler.
    — Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of shave
Verb
  • Bevins, sung by the tenor Jonah Hoskins, is a young gay man who slit his wrists after being jilted by a lover.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Afterward, Lindsay slit her wrists and neck, then jumped out of a second-story window.
    — Selena Barrientos, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of slit
Verb
  • In a pouch-cell demonstration, the battery continued powering an LED even after being folded and cut.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • At least 15 of the 53 donors who gave money this month had no history of state-level political contributions, and many more hadn’t cut checks in at least a decade.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of cut
Verb
  • Greece's prime minister rejected a maritime agreement between Libya and Turkey, which slices ownership of part of the eastern Mediterranean Sea between the two countries.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2026
  • The Lakers went to sleep in the second quarter and started to get cooked by the Warriors, watching their big lead get sliced to 53-53 at the half.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of slice
Verb
  • Health insurers have grappled with elevated medical costs in recent years as consumers increased their ​use of healthcare services, prompting companies to raise premiums, trim benefits and exit less profitable plans.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 4 Nov. 2026
  • From Christmas cocktails and tree-trimming ideas to gift wrapping, recipes, and musical moments, each segment adds warmth, fun, and fresh inspiration.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of trim
Verb
  • Old walls that once separated the exam rooms have been ripped down, leaving a large open space.
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee Updated November 2, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But this audience was too savvy to be faked out, and their silence was upheld during that most delicate of passages — which, combined with the lack of the visual intrusion of an 18,000-strong filming crew, made for some heart-ripping magic.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of rip
Verb
  • In the years since the COVID-19 lockdown brought the subway system to a halt — and clipped many a commute by moving work out of the office — 2019 subway ridership has been treated as a benchmark of the city’s revival.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Later that summer, having turned professional, Russell qualified for her first World Championships but crashed out at the semifinals after clipping the second hurdle.
    — Fraser Godden, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of clip
Verb
  • The method is precise, but the effect is unruly, as if the chainsaws are really back there somewhere inside the speaker, about to slash through the cone.
    — Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Waste disposal alternatives ​Meanwhile, other labs across America are looking at alternative nuclear fuel recycling technologies to slash the radioactive waste storage from thousands of years to just hundreds.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of slash

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sheaf
shear
sheared
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Cite this Entry

“Shear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shear. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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