Shear

/ʃɪər/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A cutting instrument or tool that is used to shear fibrous materials.

She used a pair of heavy-duty shears to trim the hedges in her garden.

The act of shearing; the process of removing hair or wool.

The shear of the sheep occurs once a year to harvest their fleece.

A type of stress or force that causes layers of material to slide past each other.

The geologist studied the shear in the rock layers to understand the area's seismic activity.

verb

To cut the hair, wool, or other fibrous material from something.

The farmer decided to shear the sheep in early spring to keep them cool.

To remove or cut off by cutting.

The mechanic used a special tool to shear the metal components for the new engine.

To deform or break under a lateral force.

The structural engineer explained how the metal could shear under high stress.

Old English 'scear', meaning to cut off.

shear someone's hair

To cut someone's hair or give them a haircut.

shear off

To cut something off completely.

shear strength

The ability of a material to resist shear forces.

shearing

The act of cutting or removing hair or fleece.

shears

A cutting tool that has two blades and is used for cutting hair, plants, or fabric.

shorn

Past participle of shear, meaning to have had hair or fleece cut off.

To get a haircut.

I'm going to shear my hair this weekend.

To cheat someone out of something.

He totally sheared me on that deal.