1
as in shaving
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 slicing
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shearing
That increases a rising air motion that tends to drop shearing winds over the Atlantic that can disrupt the structure of tropical cyclones.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
The plants bloom in late spring and early summer and can be encouraged to bloom again by shearing the plants back by two-thirds after the first flowers fade.
—Lynn McAlpine, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
Plus, shearing the plants will encourage them to rebloom.
—Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
Sophomore Joe Teter enjoyed the honor of shearing Dunckel’s head.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
The video shows the Amazon drone shearing the wire line.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025
The film reunited him with Morrison, who played the head of a sheep-shearing family business in northeastern New Zealand in the 1950s.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
Moreover, plastic pulverization produces fine solids; keeping the enzyme in contact with all surfaces without shearing it to inactivity is an active research topic.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
The plants bloom in late spring and early summer and can be encouraged to bloom again by shearing the plants back by two-thirds after the first flowers fade.
—Lynn McAlpine, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
Plus, shearing the plants will encourage them to rebloom.
—Michelle Darrisaw, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
Sophomore Joe Teter enjoyed the honor of shearing Dunckel’s head.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025
The video shows the Amazon drone shearing the wire line.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025
The film reunited him with Morrison, who played the head of a sheep-shearing family business in northeastern New Zealand in the 1950s.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
Moreover, plastic pulverization produces fine solids; keeping the enzyme in contact with all surfaces without shearing it to inactivity is an active research topic.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shearing
Verb
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In practical terms, that is roughly a 1–2 percent reduction in total mission velocity change, which is the equivalent of shaving a few liters off every hundred liters in a long-distance road trip.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
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Gonce's daily life revolves around caring for Jason — administering medicine, preparing food, bathing and shaving him and keeping him safe.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
Verb
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If using garden cucumbers, peel off the waxy skin and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds before slicing.—
Martha Stewart,
Martha Stewart,
15 May 2026
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Remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
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The bridge demonstrates a new, lighter approach to low-carbon infrastructure, cutting waste and CO₂ by depositing concrete only where needed.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The prosecutor said Tran tried to take his own life by slitting a wrist, cutting his neck and poking a blade into his stomach.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
5 Mar. 2026
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When Rochelle Luna, 18, arrived at the house hours later, Djerf bound, gagged and raped her before stabbing her and slitting her throat, court records said.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Mamdani’s Executive Budget rightly addresses some of this excess, trimming DOC’s uniformed headcount by 586 positions, and putting the city on track to save $78 million next year.—
Jason Rodriguez,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
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The conglomerate also fully exited Amazon after trimming the position late last year.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Webb delivered the big blow with runners on second and third and no outs in the seventh, ripping a two-run double to the gap in left-center to give the Celtics the lead.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
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Stocks have been ripping higher thanks to a revival in enthusiasm around artificial intelligence.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Since then, and especially over the past year, clipping has gone professional.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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Thin Extra Seedlings After the seeds sprout and are a few inches tall with true leaves, thin out the weakest plants by clipping them off at the soil line with scissors.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Trump has also proposed slashing nearly $800 million from the park system’s roughly $3-billion operating budget.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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Boston alone has proposed slashing 568 positions in a budget proposal passed by the local school committee in March, resulting in slashes to currently vacant positions but also including hundreds of layoffs.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shearing. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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