shear off

phrasal verb

sheared off; sheared off or shorn off; shearing off; shears off

: to become separated suddenly because of great force

The excess weight caused the bolt to shear off.

: to remove (something) with great force

The impact of the crash sheared off the airplane's wing.

Examples of shear off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

These 10 stars sheared off their hair in order to deliver the most authentic performance possible. —

Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 That building still stood, but the walls on the second floor were sheared off. —

Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2024 The biggest and heaviest piece of debris was the central part of a propeller with much of its blades sheared off. —

Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2024 No one before had dared to ski the Couloir Spencer, which sheared off at a 55-degree angle at some points on the French peak Aiguille de Blaitière. —

Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 24 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for shear off