1
as in shaves
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slits
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shears
Verb
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After consultations with superiors, the jail superintendent has sent for a barber, who shaves the man gently, making sure to clear the fuzz from his earlobes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026 -
In his 1939 version, William Wyler shaves away huge chunks of the story.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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An entire film of buzzy, chaotic music suddenly cuts away so that these sounds can ring out clearly across the cosmos.—
Alex Galbraith,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
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Off-site construction reliably cuts construction timelines by 10% to 30%, according to an analysis by the Terner Center.—
Ben Christopher,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Arrange slices 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.—
Anna Theoktisto,
Southern Living,
21 Dec. 2025
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Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The holder clips right to your pack or waders and keeps everything in a neat, easy-to-dispense stack.—
Francesca Krempa,
Outside,
23 Dec. 2025
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The carry handles each have a magnetic piece that then clips together to form a single bar to grasp.—
Adam Campbell-Schmitt,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Continue reading … LATE-NIGHT HOAX — FCC chair rips media for promoting claim CBS blocked Colbert-Talarico interview.—
,
FOXNews.com,
19 Feb. 2026
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Seguin rips Burleson, remains fourth in 8-5A Zoderick Green paced Arlington Seguin with 17 points as the Cougars held on to fourth place in District 8-5A with a 69-42 win over Burleson.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Like other series in a similar position, most notably Dick Wolf’s dramas, Grey’s Anatomy has gone through budget trims the last couple of seasons, including reducing the episodic guarantees of veteran cast members the last two years, with each appearing in 14 of the show’s 18 episodes each season.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
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That figure is likely to keep sliding, particularly if the Fed trims rates later this year.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The old formula not only fails to reflect how much Argentine households spend on present-day staples like Netflix subscriptions and iPhones, experts say, but also underrepresents the costs of public services like health care and electricity that have skyrocketed as Milei slashes subsidies.—
Isabel Debre,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Work rules are the largest driver of coverage losses in the GOP budget law, which slashes nearly $1 trillion to offset the costs of tax breaks that mainly benefit the rich and increase border security, critics say.—
Samantha Liss,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Using scissors, Boesch, who trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, typically snips cards into pieces and reassembles them into depictions of such subjects as Lady Liberty, Yankee Stadium, Andy Warhol, Derek Jeter, and Pizza Rat.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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In the footage, Sally leans forward, flips her hair over her face, and snips the ends.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shears. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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