shear
to cut (something).
to remove by or as if by cutting or clipping with a sharp instrument: to shear wool from sheep.
to cut or clip the hair, fleece, wool, etc., from: to shear sheep.
to strip or deprive (usually followed by of): to shear someone of power.
Chiefly Scot. to reap with a sickle.
to travel through by or as if by cutting: Chimney swifts sheared the air.
to cut or cut through something with a sharp instrument.
to progress by or as if by cutting: The cruiser sheared through the water.
Mechanics, Geology. to become fractured along a plane as a result of forces acting parallel to the plane.
Chiefly Scot. to reap crops with a sickle.
Usually shears. (sometimes used with a singular verb)
scissors of large size (usually used with pair of).
any of various other cutting implements or machines having two blades that resemble or suggest those of scissors.
the act or process of shearing or being sheared.
a shearing of sheep (used in stating the age of sheep): a sheep of one shear.
the quantity, especially of wool or fleece, cut off at one shearing.
one blade of a pair of large scissors.
Usually shears. Also sheers .Also called shear legs, sheerlegs [sheer-legz] /ˈʃɪərˌlɛgz/ .(usually used with a plural verb) a framework for hoisting heavy weights, consisting of two or more spars with their legs separated, fastened together near the top and steadied by guys, which support a tackle.
a machine for cutting rigid material, as metal in sheet or plate form, by moving the edge of a blade through it.
Mechanics, Geology. the tendency of forces to deform or fracture a member or a rock in a direction parallel to the force, as by sliding one section against another.
Physics. the lateral deformation produced in a body by an external force, expressed as the ratio of the lateral displacement between two points lying in parallel planes to the vertical distance between the planes.
Origin of shear
1Other words from shear
- shearer, noun
- shearless, adjective
Words that may be confused with shear
- shear , sheer
Words Nearby shear
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use shear in a sentence
The combination of an unstable atmosphere, plenty of shear, energy aloft and an approaching front is a potentially volatile combination.
After producing several tornado warnings and funnel clouds, storms exiting region | Jason Samenow, Jeffrey Halverson | July 29, 2021 | Washington PostYou may find sets with extra tools, such as poultry shears, so if you’re looking for a very specific tool, check the inventory of a grill set to ensure you get what you want.
Best grill accessories you need to become a grill master | Florie Korani | July 23, 2021 | Popular-ScienceOf those 11 events, six sets of vibrations included shear waves strong enough to stand out from background noise.
Marsquakes reveal the Red Planet boasts a liquid core half its diameter | Sid Perkins | July 22, 2021 | Science NewsIf it’s closer to two pounds, or you’re concerned about it fitting into your steamer, carefully cut off the fins with kitchen shears or slice the whole fish in half.
That shear no doubt increased the tendency for these late cells to rotate.
Explaining the tornado warning and storm damage in D.C. on Thursday night | Jeffrey Halverson, Jason Samenow, Ian Livingston | July 2, 2021 | Washington Post
Climate change increases the available energy, but reduces the wind shear, making the net result hard to predict.
The Real Climate-Change Lesson from the Oklahoma Tornado | Andrew T. Guzman | May 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTOn the other hand, wind shear is expected to decrease as the poles get warmer.
Second, you need those layers to be traveling at different speeds or in different directions, a phenomenon called wind shear.
Wind shear may decrease in a warmer world and that could mean fewer tornadoes.
Earth Day: Discussing the Coming Climate Crisis With Heidi Cullen | Dominique Browning | April 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTSo which influence wins out—increasing water vapor or decreasing wind shear?
Earth Day: Discussing the Coming Climate Crisis With Heidi Cullen | Dominique Browning | April 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe inclined tensions and compressions in the bars of a braced web are equivalent to this shear.
The distribution of shear on vertical sections is given by the ordinates of a sloping line.
Greatest shear when concentrated Loads travel over the Bridge.
The distribution of shear is given by the partially shaded rectangles.
The shaded rectangles represent the distribution of shear due to the load at C, while no may be termed the datum line of shear.
British Dictionary definitions for shear
/ (ʃɪə) /
(tr) to remove (the fleece or hair) of (sheep, etc) by cutting or clipping
to cut or cut through (something) with shears or a sharp instrument
engineering to cause (a part, member, shaft, etc) to deform or fracture or (of a part, etc) to deform or fracture as a result of excess torsion or transverse load
(tr often foll by of) to strip or divest: to shear someone of his power
(when intr, foll by through) to move through (something) by or as if by cutting
Scot to reap (corn, etc) with a scythe or sickle
the act, process, or an instance of shearing
a shearing of a sheep or flock of sheep, esp when referred to as an indication of age: a sheep of two shears
a form of deformation or fracture in which parallel planes in a body or assembly slide over one another
physics the deformation of a body, part, etc, expressed as the lateral displacement between two points in parallel planes divided by the distance between the planes
either one of the blades of a pair of shears, scissors, etc
a machine that cuts sheet material by passing a knife blade through it
a device for lifting heavy loads consisting of a tackle supported by a framework held steady by guy ropes
Origin of shear
1Derived forms of shear
- shearer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for shear
[ shîr ]
A force, movement or pressure applied to an object perpendicular to a given axis, with greater value on one side of the axis than the other. See more at shear force stress strain.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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