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
-
Very often, the home seller and listing agent will ask for a very short timeline, removing the financing contingency (the full loan approval), shaving 10 days from the process with a closing in 21 days.—
Jeff Lazerson,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Though recession fears have grown since the fighting began more than six weeks ago, most economists think the war will have only modest effects on gross domestic product — maybe shaving off a few tenths of a percentage point overall.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The crash C-section requires multiple prosthetics, a complicated sequence of surgical tasks, and on-the-fly adjustments as the SFX team and the actors figure out how to make a fake doctor slicing into a fake pregnant belly seem real.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
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Tasks spanned from basic pick-and-place actions to more advanced, multi-step activities such as slicing an apple or assembling a breakfast tray.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This is an unsustainable path if the state hopes to avoid cutting health, education and other priorities.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Another option is to remove some of the pups, by cutting under the plants, and gathering the leaves with roots.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 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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Start by trimming the tough, dry ends off the bunch and chop them into little logs.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Get a hedge-and-branch trimming bundle at a huge discount.—
Andrew P. Collins,
The Drive,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While at Hewlett High, he and a friend were kicked out for ripping a bong hit in the dean’s bathroom.—
Steve Bloom,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Hunter consistently blows up running plays, ripping right through the interior of college offensive lines.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The war for attention has led to a boom in clipping, with some creators vying for a Netflix-billboards-on-Sunset-level land grab.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
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Such a determination would require new radiocarbon dating that overturns the original results, which would involve clipping and destroying another snippet of shroud—a step that the Vatican is unlikely to allow.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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She has been arrested for slashing her sister’s neck with a box cutter and biting the breast of a security guard outside a nightclub.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
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While Sunbelt sellers are slashing prices to clear inventory, Ohio sellers are watching their equity grow.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shearing. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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