How to Use shear in a Sentence

shear

1 of 2 verb
Definition of shearnext
Synonyms for shearnext
  • The farmers sheared the sheep.
  • The farmers sheared the wool from the sheep.
  • Images from the scene show the roof of the bus sheared off.
    — Allyson Chiu, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2018
  • Again, many trees were sheared 20 to 30 feet off the ground.
    — Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2023
  • At some point, the rest of them just shear off, and the result is calamity.
    — Ray Magliozzi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2022
  • The best time to shear is in late spring, when new growth is complete.
    — Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, 6 Feb. 2022
  • Who knew a future British king and queen might need to shear sheep?
    — Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 11 June 2019
  • Wallace seemed certain to shear off the electoral votes of the Deep South.
    — Patrick J. Buchanan, WSJ, 5 Apr. 2018
  • Her tightly coiled hair was sheared close to her scalp.
    — National Geographic, 7 Jan. 2020
  • The bullet had simply sheared off a piece of muscle and flesh.
    — SI.com, 28 Aug. 2019
  • For one, there were those who boldly sheared it all off.
    — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2017
  • The Nissan went over a guardrail and went airborne, shearing parts of trees.
    — Dan Morse, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2017
  • In some cases, they can even be sheared like a boxwood.
    — Benjamin Whitacre, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2023
  • The agency said the pickup truck’s tire came loose due to what appeared to be sheared-off lug nuts.
    — Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 27 Mar. 2023
  • The collision, about 45 miles west of New York City, sheared the bus from its wheelbase and crushed the front end of the dump truck.
    — Washington Post, 26 May 2018
  • Japanese black pine grows out of its sheared state to form a broad-topped tree of about 30 feet tall.
    — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, 28 Nov. 2019
  • The pole was sheared off and the transformer fell, in contact with the man’s car, the Seattle Fire Department said.
    — David Gutman, The Seattle Times, 15 July 2019
  • The plane had crashed near the southern tip of the island, its wings sheared off and the fuselage resting upside down.
    — Matt Day, The Seattle Times, 12 Aug. 2018
  • In 1986, a major storm convulsed the region, damaging the dams and shearing soil from the ground.
    — James Glanz, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023
  • The woman’s car continued toward the pole and struck it, shearing the pole in half.
    — cleveland, 13 Mar. 2020
  • That shear no doubt increased the tendency for these late cells to rotate.
    — Washington Post, 2 July 2021
  • But the winds knocked down many of the leafy trees, sheared off the branches of others and completely stripped the more flexible palms of their fronds.
    — New York Times, 7 Mar. 2018
  • The most dangerous thing would be if there is some major collision and pieces of the foam sheared off.
    — The Economist, 6 Sep. 2019
  • Always, always have a 3/8-inch wrench and a couple of auger shear bolt replacements at the ready.
    — WSJ, 7 Feb. 2022
  • Through grit and shear talent, Hansen found a wide audience.
    — Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2022
  • The trees have a natural shape or are sheared to a shape that meets the expectations of a Christmas tree.
    — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, 28 Nov. 2019
  • The rough texture makes shearing the skins of slick chilies or even a blistered tomato go much faster.
    — Megan Sanchez, Bon Appetit, 22 Jan. 2018
  • When the asteroid hit about 66 million years ago, many of these branches were sheared off.
    — Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2020
  • Jurors were shown a photo of Moutal lying on the side of the road, his lower left leg a bloody mess, nearly sheared off.
    — oregonlive, 14 Dec. 2019
  • The Hornet pilot in that incident turned into the tanker and sheared off a portion of the fuel hose.
    — Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, 2 Jan. 2020
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shear

2 of 2 noun
  • Or use kitchen shears to cut through the shell to access the crab meat.
    — Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2023
  • Then use shears to cut each quill about 1⁄2 inch up from the wing’s base [a].
    — Dave Hurteau, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
  • Wind shear is the change of wind speed and strength with height in the atmosphere.
    — Judson Jones, CNN, 31 Aug. 2022
  • No! Use kitchen shears to snip them right over your bowl.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 20 Sep. 2023
  • Made of stainless steel, the shears have a thick body yet maintain a sharp edge.
    — Tom Price, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2023
  • To prep for the evening, Roszak first got out her shears, giving Stone’s hair a fresh new shape.
    — Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2024
  • The shear force wouldn’t change, though, as the collision of the plates continues.
    — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, 13 June 2020
  • Wind shear -- the change with winds speed and direction with height -- needs to be low.
    — Judson Jones, CNN, 4 June 2020
  • There was a bloody hatchet in the room, and a pair of sheep-shears that probably were used to make the wounds around the eyes.
    — Paula Allen, ExpressNews.com, 21 Mar. 2020
  • The silhouette of Zach’s sails looked like black shears jutting up from the ocean.
    — Porter Fox, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2019
  • Since this lasagna is 5 layers, use a knife or kitchen shears to cut 3 of the noodles in half.
    — Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 10 Oct. 2023
  • These Sky Light shears may be the kitchen shear equivalent.
    — Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2020
  • These Sky Light shears may be the kitchen shear equivalent.
    — Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2020
  • So which will win out: the increase in warm-moist air or the modest decrease in shear?
    — Jeff Berardelli, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Wind shear involves the change in wind speeds and wind directions with height.
    — Nick Shay, The Conversation, 18 May 2022
  • Wind shear is a change in wind speed and/or direction with height.
    — Matthew Cappucci, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2020
  • That’s because of the abundance of shear, or a change of wind speed and/or direction with height.
    — Matthew Cappucci, Ben Brasch and Scott Dance, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Jan. 2023
  • After using the clippers, Saraceno switched to shears to fine tune the cut.
    — Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2023
  • Stirring a cup of water produces a shearing force, and the water shears to move out of the way.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 Dec. 2023
  • Overgrown shrubs or hedges can and should be transformed with a pair of lopping shears.
    — Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2019
  • There was a long shear of bright light, then a series of low concussions.
    — Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2023
  • These shears leave a jagged edge, which prevents fraying.
    — Vanessa Nirode, Popular Science, 10 Jan. 2020
  • Stephen Mason’s life has been shaped by guitars, barber shears and the Bible.
    — Bob Smietana, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2023
  • The shear is forecast to increase and should cause Paulette’s maximum winds to decrease in the next three days.
    — Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, 10 Sep. 2020
  • From the blade to the handle, a pair of kitchen shears is stouter than regular household scissors.
    — The Editors, Outdoor Life, 18 Nov. 2019
  • Wind shear, or the changing of wind speed and direction with height in the atmosphere, has been very low.
    — Taylor Ward, CNN, 16 Apr. 2021
  • One of the most versatile tools for tending to your plant life, hedge shears are built to shape, cut, and trim your backyard.
    — Tom Price, Popular Mechanics, 15 Feb. 2023
  • There is even a pocket of somewhat higher shear in the immediate area and just to the south.
    — Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 3 July 2023
  • These shears are 33 inches in length and can reach higher branches.
    — Jacquelene Amoquandoh, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Not much shear, and a track right up the deepest, very warm water (using ocean heat content).
    — Nelly Ontiveros, orlandosentinel.com, 28 Aug. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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