shear definition - Dictionary

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shear

shear [ sheer ]

verb (past sheared, past participle sheared or shorn [ shawrn, shōrn ], present participle shear·ing, 3rd person present singular shears)

Definition:

1. transitive and intransitive verb cut something off: to remove something with a sharp tool

2. transitive and intransitive verb cut hair or foliage from something: to cut hair, fleece, or foliage from the surface of something using a sharp tool

3. transitive verb deprive somebody of something valuable: to take something valuable or prized away from somebody

sheared of all self-respect

4. transitive and intransitive verb move smoothly through something: to move quickly and cleanly through something

5. transitive and intransitive verb deform by twisting force: to cause something to deform or break by applying a twisting force, or deform or break in this way

noun (plural shears)

Definition:

1. removal of fleece: a cutting off of a sheep's wool, often used as a measure of the age of a sheep

2. wool cut off: a quantity of wool cut off a sheep

3. physics engineering
Same as shear strain

4. physics engineering
Same as shear stress

5. cutting tool: a cutting tool with blades like scissors

[ Old English sceran< Indo-European, "to cut"]

Spelling Note


	shear or sheer? Do not confuse the spelling of shear and sheer, which sound similar. Shear is chiefly used as a verb, meaning "remove something with a sharp tool," "deprive somebody of something valuable" (as in shear them of their self-respect), or "deform or break by a twisting force": The head of the bolt has sheared off. Shears is a plural noun denoting a cutting tool. The most commonly used word spelled sheer is chiefly used as an adjective, meaning "complete and utter," "vertical," or "thin and almost transparent" (as in sheer folly, a sheer drop, sheer fabric). Another sheer is primarily a verb, meaning "swerve from a course": The boat sheered away, narrowly avoiding a collision. A third sheer is a nautical term referring to the upward curve of a boat's hull.