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
  • Hill switched from defensive tackle to tight end this past spring, trimming more than 30 pounds.
    Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Kardashian crawled passed a donkey next to the Virgin Mary, Jesus raiding the refrigerator and a woman trimming a Christmas tree.
    Janelle Ash, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of trimming
Verb
  • When children swallow more than one separate magnet, the magnets will try to attach by ripping through internal organs.
    Ryan Murphy, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Dec. 2024
  • High-End Blenders High-end blenders can be powerhouses, ripping through ice, frozen fruit, and other solid ingredients to create the smoothest soups, smoothies, and sauces in seconds.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of ripping
Verb
  • And the itemizing of it, breaking it up, short form, the clipping it out.
    Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024
  • No one can explain why his condition isn’t improving, but Dexter begins to pick up on some clues, namely that Nurse Mary is clipping obituaries from the newspaper.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
Definition of clipping
Verb
  • The plan was implemented after several high-profile incidents occurred on the city's subway system, including a deadly shooting that broke out on an elevated train platform and a train conductor who was injured in a slashing attack.
    John Bacon, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Fractional ownership of high-value assets like premium real estate and art will become mainstream, creating liquid markets for traditionally illiquid assets while slashing transaction costs and settlement times.
    Sandy Carter, Forbes, 23 Dec. 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 30 Dec. 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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