- a variation of sere.
sear
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
sears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
seared,
past participle, past
-
searing
present participle
-
to burn or char the surface of.
She seared the steak to seal in the juices.
-
to mark with a branding iron.
-
to burn or scorch injuriously or painfully.
He seared his hand on a hot steam pipe.
-
to harden or scar emotionally.
The traumatic experiences of her youth have permanently seared her.
-
to dry up or wither; parch.
verb (used without object)
-
sears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
seared,
past participle, past
-
searing
present participle
noun
adjective
noun
verb
-
to scorch or burn the surface of
-
to brand with a hot iron
-
to cause to wither or dry up
-
rare to make callous or unfeeling
noun
adjective
noun
Synonym Usage
See burn 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
searsimple
-
searssimple
-
have searedperfect
-
has searedperfect
-
am searingprogressive
-
are searingprogressive
-
is searingprogressive
-
have been searingperfect progressive
-
has been searingperfect progressive
Past
-
searedsimple
-
had searedperfect
-
was searingprogressive
-
were searingprogressive
-
had been searingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sear1
First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective ser(e), Old English sēar; cognate with Dutch zoor; the verb is derivative of the adjective
Origin of sear2
First recorded in 1550–60; from Middle French serre “a grip,” derivative of serrer “to lock up, close,” ultimately from Late Latin serāre “to bar (a door)”
Explanation
To sear something is to quickly cook or burn its surface by applying intense heat. When making beef stew, the color and flavor are usually better if you sear the meat first. Sear comes from the Old English word searian which meant “dry up” or “wither.” Typically, the verb sear now refers to burning or scorching something with heat, but if you see the phrase “wind-seared,” it means that a place — or something left in that place — has been withered by exposure to the elements. An unpleasant image can be seared into your memory, meaning you can't forget it.
Vocabulary lists containing sear
Figurative Language in King's "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Refugee
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It takes well to a hard sear, which means texture.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026
“I can still put your sear marks on your steak or burger with an infrared grill that’s fully electric,” said Langerud.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
You can easily customize with a flat top or sear sidekick, or splurging on a pizza oven, all of which easily connect to the smoker and level up the experience.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
Pros like Cincinnati-based chef Jose Salazar told me they favor carbon-steel pans because they’re virtually indestructible, relatively affordable and about half the weight of cast iron, so they heat up faster and sear well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
Razi felt the heat sear into his heart even more.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
He continues to haunt them, leading to an arresting finale that sears the wounds felt by a ghost who never found the easier life he desired.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2024
Officers purchased multiple auto sears throughout the course of the investigation, according to police.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
Love that sears and scars, like the pitiless expanses of the Sahara.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2023
Beef, which came from Spain in the 1600s, sears nicely in a hot wok.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2022
It was something I’d only wondered before, but now the possibility of this truth sears through me.
From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender
Or you might have seared in your mind the image of the beaked masks that plague doctors wore in the 1600s, which, given the lack of treatments at the time, became closely associated with death.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
But the experience of what came to be known as the Great War seared itself into the popular consciousness and survives in our collective imagination.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Our favorite dish was the house-made pappardelle with buffalo mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, topped with beautifully seared scallops.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
The UN chief's warning came as Europe's latest heatwave brought record temperatures in France and seared other European countries this week.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The burn of its passing seared his hand.
From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi
“I Just Play a Part” has the slow-coiled momentum of early-’70s Funkadelic, complete with a searing guitar opening, and ominous asides from rapper Westside Gunn, a frequent collaborator with the Alchemist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Wide swaths of California will face searing temperatures over the weekend, with forecasters issuing a heat advisory for non-coastal areas and warning about the risk of adverse fire weather.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
South Korea is sweltering in a streak of searing weather -- new all-time highs set three times over the past week alone, peaking at 42.5C on Sunday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Young’s searing memoir, “The Wound Is Where the Light Enters,” chronicles this bitter childhood and its devastating consequences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
We shuffled outside with the rest of the crowd, blinking as our eyes adjusted to the searing afternoon sun.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
