Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense shears, present participle shearing, past tense, past participle sheared, past tense, past participle shorn
1. verb
To shear a sheep means to cut its wool off.
In the Hebrides they shear their sheep later than anywhere else. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: shave, fleece More Synonyms of shear
shearinguncountable noun
...a display of sheep shearing.
2. plural noun [oft a pair ofNOUN]
A pair of shears is a garden tool like a very large pair of scissors. Shears are used especially for cutting hedges.
Trim the shrubs with shears.
Phrasal verbs:
See shear off
More Synonyms of shear
shear in British English
(ʃɪə)
verbWord forms: shears, shearing, shearedWord forms: Australian and New Zealandshore, sheared or shorn
1. (transitive)
to remove (the fleece or hair) of (sheep, etc) by cutting or clipping
2.
to cut or cut through (something) with shears or a sharp instrument
3. engineering
to cause (a part, member, shaft, etc) to deform or fracture or (of a part, etc) to deform or fracture as a result of excess torsion or transverse load
4. (transitive; often foll byof)
to strip or divest
to shear someone of power
5. (whenintr, foll by through)
to move through (something) by or as if by cutting
6. Scottish
to reap (corn, etc) with a scythe or sickle
noun
7.
the act, process, or an instance of shearing
8.
a shearing of a sheep or flock of sheep, esp when referred to as an indication of age
a sheep of two shears
9.
a form of deformation or fracture in which parallel planes in a body or assembly slide over one another
10. physics
the deformation of a body, part, etc, expressed as the lateral displacement between two points in parallel planes divided by the distance between the planes
11.
either one of the blades of a pair of shears, scissors, etc
12.
a machine that cuts sheet material by passing a knife blade through it
13.
a device for lifting heavy loads consisting of a tackle supported by a framework held steady by guy ropes
Derived forms
shearer (ˈshearer)
noun
Word origin
Old English sceran; related to Old Norse skera to cut, Old Saxon, Old High German skeran to shear; see share2
shear in American English
(ʃɪr)
verb transitiveWord forms: sheared, sheared or shorn, ˈshearing
1.
to cut with shears or a similar sharp-edged instrument
2.
a.
to remove (the hair, wool, etc.) by cutting or clipping
b.
to cut or clip the hair, wool, etc. from
3.
to tear or wrench (off) by shearing stress
4.
to move through as if cutting
5.
to strip or divest (someone) of a power, right, etc.
6. Dialectal
to reap with a sickle
verb intransitive
7.
a.
to use a cutting tool, as shears, in trimming or cutting wool, shrubbery, metal, etc.
b. Dialectal
to use a sickle in reaping
8.
to come apart or break under the action of shearing stress
9.
to move by or as if by cutting
noun
10.
a. Rare
shears
b.
a single blade of a pair of shears
11.
a machine used in cutting metal, esp. sheet metal
12.
the action, process, or result of shearing; specif., the shearing of wool from ananimal
used in designating a sheep's age
a sheep of three shears
13.
a.
shearing stress
b.
any strain or distortion in shape resulting from the action of shearing stress
Derived forms
shearer (ˈshearer)
noun
Word origin
ME scheren < OE scieran, akin to Ger scheren < IE base *(s)ker-, to cut > harvest
shear in Mechanical Engineering
(ʃɪər)
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Mechanics and dynamics)
Shear is the movement of one surface of a substance over another parallel surface.
Viscosity is related to the rate of shear in a fluid.
Longitudinal shear is a movement of one joint face in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axisof the joint.
Shear is the movement of one surface of a substance over another parallel surface.
shear force, shear stress
Examples of 'shear' in a sentence
shear
Use garden shears to trim them back to the base of the spent flower stems.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Remove the spent stems using garden shears.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In the past it was cut by teams of workers perched atop rickety ladders and using garden shears.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
So put away those garden shears.
The Sun (2015)
Using sharp shears, cut back to just above the base of the flower stems.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The current attempt required a giant pair of robotic shears to cut the spewing pipeline so that a containment cap could be fitted.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The plants should then be trimmed hard back with shears - cut them to within 2in of the crowns.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
shear
British English: shear VERB
To shear a sheep means to cut its wool off.
Competitors have six minutes to shear four sheep.
American English: shear
Brazilian Portuguese: tosquiar
Chinese: > 剪毛给羊
European Spanish: esquilar
French: tondre
German: scheren
Italian: tosare
Japanese: 毛を刈る
Korean: > 털을 깎다양의
European Portuguese: tosquiar
Latin American Spanish: esquilar
British English: shear NOUN
A pair of shears is a garden tool like a very large pair of scissors. Shears are used especially for cutting hedges.
Trim the shrubs with shears.
American English: shear
Brazilian Portuguese: podadeira
Chinese: > 园艺剪刀给羊
European Spanish: tijeras de podar
French: cisaille
German: Heckenschere
Italian: cesoie
Japanese: 大ばさみ
Korean: 큰 가위
European Portuguese: podadeira
Latin American Spanish: tijeras de podar
All related terms of 'shear'
shear off
If something such as a piece of metal shears off , or if it is sheared off , it breaks .
shear pin
an easily replaceable pin inserted in a machine at a critical point and designed to shear and stop the machine if the load becomes too great
shear cell
A shear cell is a device for testing how a powder or particle mixture flows.
shear force
Shear force is force that makes one surface of a substance move over another parallel surface.
shear stud
a stud that transfers shear stress between metal and concrete in composite structural members in which the stud is welded to the metal component
wind shear
stress on an aircraft in an area in which winds of different speeds and directions are close together
shear modulus
The shear modulus of a material is how stiff or rigid it is. It is equal to the shear stress divided by the shear strain .
shear stress
the form of stress in a body, part, etc, that tends to produce cutting rather than stretching or bending
shear strength
the degree to which a material or bond is able to resist shear
(verb)
Definition
to remove (the fleece) of (a sheep) by cutting or clipping
In the Hebrides they shear their sheep later than everyone else.
Synonyms
shave
I set the log on the ground and shaved off the bark.
fleece
(plural noun)
Definition
a large scissor-like cutting tool with flat blades, used for cutting hedges