1
as in shaved
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 sliced
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sheared
As the continents sheared and twisted unevenly, local forces squeezed together thin ribbons of crust and popped them up like geological meerkats, isolating and slicing them off.
—
Evan Howell, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
It can be lightly sheared to maintain shape but is slow-growing and takes a long time to recover from aggressive pruning.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
The bedding is triple sheared, and as a result, pilling is very minor.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
The plant’s free-flowing, natural form is quite lovely; however, these versatile shrubs can also be sheared into formal hedges or topiary, limbed up into a standard form, and otherwise trained.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2025
Doctors soon found that the on-field hits had sheared a blood vessel in Bledsoe's chest, which was rapidly filling his body with blood.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
The $1,850 scarves start with 400 grams of raw cashmere sheared from the undercoat of high-altitude hircus goats.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025
The military truck towered over the civilian car, its armored plating intact while the SUV's side was sheared in.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Bob had his cheek welded onto the factory plastic, fists gripped to the window frame, all of his pale hair sheared back by the drag.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Evan Howell, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
It can be lightly sheared to maintain shape but is slow-growing and takes a long time to recover from aggressive pruning.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
The bedding is triple sheared, and as a result, pilling is very minor.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
The plant’s free-flowing, natural form is quite lovely; however, these versatile shrubs can also be sheared into formal hedges or topiary, limbed up into a standard form, and otherwise trained.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2025
Doctors soon found that the on-field hits had sheared a blood vessel in Bledsoe's chest, which was rapidly filling his body with blood.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
The $1,850 scarves start with 400 grams of raw cashmere sheared from the undercoat of high-altitude hircus goats.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2025
The military truck towered over the civilian car, its armored plating intact while the SUV's side was sheared in.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Bob had his cheek welded onto the factory plastic, fists gripped to the window frame, all of his pale hair sheared back by the drag.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheared
Verb
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Yukon gold potatoes are shaved to a thickness of about a millimeter, layered with butter and a little corn starch and baked.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The sides were much shorter, shaved down and brushed forward compared to the top.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The star of the show at both is the steak trompo, in which strip and sirloin steaks are skewered on a glossy vertical spit, sliced thinly to order onto a supple corn tortilla with avocado salsa.—
Andrea Strong,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Feb. 2026
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Using single-cell RNA data from four additional mouse brains — including ones from male or female mice, and ones sliced from left to right or front to back — CellTransformer produced similar maps.—
Amber Dance,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the men's singles final in figure skating, the NBC telecast just cut to a shot of American Max Naumov, who was juggling a soccer ball.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The explosion, which ripped through the mosque during Friday prayers, was caused by a suicide bomber, police told CNN.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Four people are dead after a fire ripped through a DeKalb County home late Wednesday, officials said.—
Caroline Silva,
AJC.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The impassioned celebration was quickly clipped and shared across social media, with thousands enjoying what initially looked like a release of unbridled, unrehearsed joy.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Searching for every inch, every millisecond of an advantage, her right arm clipped the fourth gate.—
Will Graves,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In March, the health secretary announced the consolidation of divisions and elimination of 20,000 full-time employees in a major restructuring and slashed funding for research.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
-
In 2025, private-sector employers slashed 31,400 jobs, while government employers added 20,200.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Politicians would like to believe that rising health-insurance costs result from bloated hospital budgets, physician overpayments, or administrative waste—problems that could be trimmed away painlessly.—
Chris Pope,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
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Gaga’s entire dress was trimmed with pleated fabric on her chest, stomach, and skirt, adding extra movement and texture to the head-turning look.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Williams introduces us to a woman who is pierced by the clarity of her vision.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Raha was one of them, killed by a bullet that pierced her lungs.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sheared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheared. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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