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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 October, the feds announced a sweeping investigation into NBA point-shaving rings tied to the mafia.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
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Fairley also admitted Thursday to placing wagers and recruiting and bribing college basketball players to underperform in games in a separate NCAA point-shaving case brought by federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Some varieties of slicing cucumbers have very tender skins and bruise easily.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
28 May 2026
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Nothing arrived pre-chopped, so there was still some prep, but it was limited to quick tasks like slicing scallions, dicing a pepper, and chopping cashews.—
Erin Bunch,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 May 2026
Verb
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There is also more cutting required of bloomed flowers to initiate another flush, and more cleaning up and cutting secondary branches in spring.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
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Barr rightly notes that current capital standards were already near the low end of what academic research identifies as optimal; cutting further tips the balance toward fragility, not strength.—
Mayra Rodriguez Valladares,
Forbes.com,
6 June 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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Maintaining your yard by mowing, removing leaf litter, and trimming vegetation reduces tick habitats.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
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Here where to find more information on tree trimming policies.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The 20-year-old was a persistent nuisance pressing Swiss defenders and nearly produced a highlight-reel goal, ripping a powerful shot that Gregor Kobel tipped onto the crossbar with a spectacular save in the 49th minute.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
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The fixtures, the beautiful chandeliers, ripping the wood out of the floor, selling off anything.—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
4 June 2026
Verb
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There was also, again strangely, slightly more clipping on show in very bright areas in the Bravia 9 II’s Standard and Movie presets than there was on the original Bravia 9, even though the Bravia 9 II actually displayed less clipping than its predecessor in Professional mode.—
John Archer,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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Manager Dave Roberts said the ball mostly hit the pad on Ohtani's hand before clipping his pinkie finger.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Verb
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The most recent controversy came in January, when the county paid $135,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused Kramer of improperly slashing a property’s value by millions of dollars — then retaliating against the employee who raised alarms about it.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
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Police said the suspect was wearing a blue shirt and jeans when he was seen on security footage pouring milk on the vehicle and then slashing the tires.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shearing. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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