pruning shears

American  

noun

(usually used with a plural verb)

1. small, sturdy shears used for pruning shrubbery.

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Etymology

Origin of pruning shears

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Instead the final four candidates for the job were a range of eager submissives, each straining to appear enthusiastic to pick up the pruning shears and start cutting rates by the bunch:

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

Kathleen Ferguson grabbed a pair of pruning shears from a mailbox nailed to a garden bed and leaned down to cut bunches of Orlaya grandiflora on the flower-filled hillside.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2024

During those searches, two blue crowbars, pruning shears and a cutting tool were found in a nearby pond and in the Paar River, the statement said.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2023

When people hear the term "thinning," they think about workers out there with pruning shears and rakes.

From Salon • Jun. 30, 2021

He wore a pair of stained olive-green overalls without a shirt underneath, and he had a broad utility belt holding pruning shears, twine, a hand rake, and a trowel.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda