SHEARING Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

shearing

verb

present participle of shear

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

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

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 shearing This easy-care hedge requires shearing only once a year to maintain its shape. — Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 July 2026 Harryson says to avoid shearing the entire plant into a tight mound, cutting into the crown, removing emerging spring shoots, and pruning too early. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 16 June 2026 In that 1964 work, Ono sat still on a stage, a pair of scissors beside her, as audience members took turns shearing her clothing. — Julie L. Belcove, Architectural Digest, 12 June 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shearing

Verb

Try roasting it with olive oil and salt, sautéing it and adding it to a pasta or grain bowl, or shaving it with a vegetable peeler and adding the raw strips to a salad for some crunch.

— Sarah Anzlovar, Verywell Health, 20 July 2026
And while the results last much longer than shaving, each session typically takes more time, especially when treating larger areas like the legs.

— Iman Balagam, Vogue, 17 July 2026

Definition of shaving

Verb

And in the coming years, humanoid robots with dexterous hands will automate the other parts of lab work, such as handling mice, or slicing thin layers of tissue.

— Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 17 July 2026
By the eighth inning, when the conditions had deteriorated at Citizens Bank Park, Brandon Marsh twisted and turned to track a line drive slicing through the smoke.

— Matt Gelb, New York Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of slicing

Verb

The vibes at Wrigley should be stellar this weekend as the Champions Gate at Gallagher Way will be unveiled before Saturday’s game with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

— LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
Rather than report on every float in this parade of horribles, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed and hirsute higher education observer Bryan Alexander have started cost-cutting trackers.

— Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of cutting

Verb

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
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

Definition of slitting

Verb

Rather than just trimming stems and plopping them in a vase, reflexing plays with the form of the flower by gently folding petals backwards to open up the bloom.

— Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
Even the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are still sitting on a huge haul of future draft capital, had to start trimming their supporting cast this offseason because Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams’ max extensions kicked in.

— Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of trimming

Verb

Launched by General Mills in 1996, it was built to invite parents to turn ordinary grocery purchases into support for their child's school, originally by clipping box tops, now by scanning receipts in an app.

— Karl Mawhinney, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
He was arrested crossing the border from Mexico into Texas in September 1981, according to a news clipping from the Chicago Tribune.

— Doha Madani, NBC news, 16 July 2026

Definition of clipping

Verb

Retailers like Wayfair, Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Amazon are still slashing prices on some of the highest-quality pieces on the market.

— Sarah Scott, Southern Living, 19 July 2026
San Francisco had already seen a Waymo smashed and torched by a crowd, and a man charged with slashing the tires of seventeen more.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of slashing

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“Shearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shearing. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shearing

verb

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