1
as in shaves
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slits
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shears
Verb
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Parker Lee was a new addition in season 3 as Mac's roomie — and an eventual victim of the campus rapist who attacks female students and shaves their heads.—
Sezin Koehler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Jan. 2026 -
Hockey players cut more, so Emmet shaves deeper.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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If the Fed cuts its short-term rate too aggressively and is seen as doing so for political reasons, then Wall Street investors could sell Treasury bonds out of fear that inflation would rise.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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The move effectively cuts the island off from key fuel sources and, according to community members, could worsen an already fragile humanitarian situation.—
Marybel Rodriguez,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Arrange slices 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.—
Anna Theoktisto,
Southern Living,
21 Dec. 2025
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Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The holder clips right to your pack or waders and keeps everything in a neat, easy-to-dispense stack.—
Francesca Krempa,
Outside,
23 Dec. 2025
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The carry handles each have a magnetic piece that then clips together to form a single bar to grasp.—
Adam Campbell-Schmitt,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With Pres as the DJ, Gabe rips through damn-near all of Sortilège like a pro.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
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Fast forward to today, and, somehow, the tremendously rotund AMG GT rips down twisty roads with nearly as much athleticism as fare weighing 2,000-or-more pounds less.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That figure is likely to keep sliding, particularly if the Fed trims rates later this year.—
Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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Some popular models that may require midgrade plus fuel include some Dodge Charger and Jeep Grand Cherokee trims.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Orchestrated by a central process orchestration layer such as zenon, this approach accelerates scale-up from lab to full production, slashes changeover time, reduces waste, and breaks vendor lock‑in while protecting existing assets and enabling continuous improvement.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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The system slashes both capital expenditure and long-term maintenance costs.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Using scissors, Boesch, who trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, typically snips cards into pieces and reassembles them into depictions of such subjects as Lady Liberty, Yankee Stadium, Andy Warhol, Derek Jeter, and Pizza Rat.—
Taran Dugal,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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In the footage, Sally leans forward, flips her hair over her face, and snips the ends.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shears. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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