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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One of the highlights is the bread cart rolled out at the beginning of the meal, right after the waiter shaves off a roll of unctuous French butter from a huge golden mound.—
Penny E Schwartz,
Oc Register,
1 Mar. 2026 -
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
Verb
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The footage inside the silicone throat was shot weeks prior; when the camera cuts to Howard, production used scopes of different lengths to indicate how far the tube may have gone down his throat.—
Marah Eakin,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Usually when the economy is unsteady and the job market is weakening, the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates to give things a boost.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For one, Pashtun nationalists will always have problems with a border that slices their heartland in two.—
Mihir Sharma,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The campaign reaching the ballot would add to a series of looming questions about the future of the map, which slices through Kansas City.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
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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It’s generally accepted that John rips Carolyn’s engagement ring off her finger in the park, and returns it when sitting on the curb.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2026
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Costarring Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning, the film rips open the emotional wounds that are often left by one's parents.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trusting the reader trims needless words.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
10 Mar. 2026
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As the United Nations inevitably trims its support for sustainable development, Asia is going to have to find a replacement source of capital.—
Naina Subberwal Batra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In addition to this, utilizing these existing tunnels and shafts significantly slashes construction costs and accelerates deployment timelines.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
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Congress slashes taxes, writes stimulus checks, and fattens unemployment-insurance payouts.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Grandmother takes a small pair of scissors from her bag and snips a swatch from the green cloth, then slips it into her pocket.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
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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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Cite this Entry
“Shears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shears. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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