shearing

verb

Definition of shearingnext
present participle of shear
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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shearing
  1. trimming
  2. ripping
  3. clipping
  4. slashing
Verb
  • Other cost-saving opportunities may come from trimming benefits.
    Marc Joffe, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • The hushed hallways are dim and gilded, with black gold-veined marble trimming each room’s vestibule and dramatic floral displays punctuating the elevator landings.
    Laura Ratliff, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2024
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • Wildfires are typically regarded as a summer event, ripping through forests and homes in the hotter months.
    Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Find out more tips, plus recommendations for tights that are less prone to ripping.
    Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024
Definition of ripping
Verb
  • In reality, though, because the TCL’s tone mapping is not as effective as that of the Samsung TV, the TCL’s brightness can cause clipping and leave the image looking ‘peaky’ and unbalanced.
    John Archer, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
  • Crowder has spent much of the past thirty-odd years clipping them into shape.
    Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of clipping
Verb
  • One of his first moves was to announce a big restructuring plan that involved slashing 10,000 jobs, or 13% of its workforce, a reduction that helped the company afford the hefty settlement payouts.
    BYPhil Wahba, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2024
  • Unless investors have specifically allocated their money toward funds dedicated toward slashing emissions, ignoring crucial financial performance metrics violates the fiduciary responsibility of institutional investors.
    Wayne Winegarden, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Definition of slashing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near shearing

sheared

shearing

shears

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Cite this Entry

“Shearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shearing. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shearing

Nglish: Translation of shearing for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of shearing for Arabic Speakers

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