shear

1 of 2

verb

ˈshir 

sheared; sheared or shorn ˈshȯrn  ; shearing

transitive verb

1

a

: to cut off the hair from

b

: to cut or clip (hair, wool, etc.) from someone or something

also : to cut something from

shear a lawn

c

chiefly Scotland : to reap with a sickle

d

: to cut or trim with shears or a similar instrument

2

: to cut with something sharp

3

: to deprive of something as if by cutting

lives shorn of any hope

—M. W. Browne

4

a

: to subject to a shear force

b

: to cause (something, such as a rock mass) to move along the plane of contact

intransitive verb

1

: to cut through something with or as if with a sharp instrument

2

chiefly Scotland : to reap crops with a sickle

3

: to become divided under the action of a shear

shearer noun

shear

2 of 2

noun

1

a(1)

: a cutting implement similar or identical to a pair of scissors but typically larger

—usually used in plural

(2)

: one blade of a pair of shears

b

: any of various cutting tools or machines operating by the action of opposed cutting edges of metal

—usually used in plural

c(1)

: something resembling a shear or a pair of shears

(2)

: a hoisting apparatus consisting of two or sometimes more upright spars fastened together at their upper ends and having tackle for masting or dismasting ships or lifting heavy loads (such as guns)

—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

2

chiefly British : the action or process or an instance of shearing

—used in combination to indicate the approximate age of sheep in terms of shearings undergone

3

a

: internal force tangential to the section on which it acts

called also shearing force

b

: an action or stress resulting from applied forces that causes or tends to cause two contiguous parts of a body to slide relatively to each other in a direction parallel to their plane of contact

Synonyms

Verb

• bob
• clip
• crop
• cut
• cut back
• dock
• lop (off)
• nip
• pare
• poll
• prune
• shave
• snip
• trim

Examples of shear in a Sentence

Verb

The farmers sheared the sheep.

The farmers sheared the wool from the sheep.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The sheep in his yard are sheared to make wool, and shearling waste is gathered from local farmers to produce shearling pieces including an ultra-luxe pair of chaps. —Steff Yotka, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2024

Three weeks later, Papini reappeared on the side of a highway in Yolo County, bruised and emaciated, with her long blond hair sheared short and right shoulder branded. —Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Egyptian vultures have also been observed wielding twigs to rake up tufts of wool from sheep shearing pens and repurposing the wool as nest insulation. —Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023

Stirring a cup of water produces a shearing force, and the water shears to move out of the way. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Dec. 2023

But for non-Newtonian fluids like oobleck, the viscosity changes when a shearing force is applied. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Dec. 2023

Outside of Native communities, the conventional explanation had long been that the Coast Salish themselves lost interest in breeding and shearing the dogs once cheaper fibers and blankets became available. —Alicia Ault, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024

When a new snowfall dumps on top of it, the grains in the weak layer can shear, creating a surface for an avalanche to slide on. —CBS News, 11 Jan. 2024

These fibers usually came from shearing sheep, goats, alpacas, and other animals. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2024

Noun

If necessary, use sharp, sterile shears to cut it back hard (no more than half) at the end of autumn. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2024

Shop gardening tools like sturdy rakes, trowels, and shears, plus home garden goods like hanging planters and an herb growing kit. —Monica Bell, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

The jet stream tied to the low pressure system was slicing over the Mississippi and Ohio valleys and inducing shear, or a change of wind speed and/or direction with height. —Naomi Schanen, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024

Photographed by Daniel Jackson, Vogue, January 2020 Having cultivated his color-rich and textural collections as devotedly as his garden, Dries Van Noten, now 65, has decided to put down his shears in favor of his pruners. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2024

Grab your gardening shears and head out to the great outdoors. —Kelsey Mulvey, Sunset Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024

But in the new research, the Jefferson Lab physicists are instead mapping the proton’s gravitational influence — namely, the distribution of energies, pressures and shear stresses throughout, which bend the space-time fabric in and around the particle. —Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024

The squares are simple to create with kitchen shears or a paring knife. —Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2024

For Pamela, revenge is a dish best served with garden shears. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English sheren, from Old English scieran; akin to Old Norse skera to cut, Latin curtus mutilated, curtailed, Greek keirein to cut, shear, Sanskrit kṛnāti he injures

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing shear

• shear off
• shear pin
• wind shear

Kids Definition

shear

1 of 2 verb

ˈshi(ə)r 

sheared; sheared or shorn ˈshō(ə)rn 

ˈshȯ(ə)rn

; shearing

1

: to cut the hair or wool from

shearing sheep

2

: to deprive of by or as if by cutting off

shorn of power

3

: to become divided under the action of a shear

the bolt may shear off

shearer noun

shear

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a cutting tool similar or identical to a pair of scissors but typically larger

—usually used in plural

b

: any of various cutting tools or machines operating by the action of opposed cutting edges of metal

—usually used in plural

2

: an action or force that causes or tends to cause two parts of a body to slide on each other in a direction parallel to their plane of contact