sear
1to 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.
to become dry or withered, as vegetation.
a mark or scar made by searing.
Origin of sear
1synonym study For sear
Other words from sear
- un·seared, adjective
Other definitions for sear (2 of 2)
a pivoted piece that holds the hammer at full cock or half cock in the firing mechanism of small arms.
Origin of sear
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sear in a sentence
Her passport stamp to Italy turned into a rustic seared quail ragu with piccante frantumato.
Asha Gomez made her name as an Indian American chef. But she’s tired of being pigeonholed. | Nikhita Venugopal | November 9, 2020 | Washington PostThe beauty award goes to the scallop tartine, a puff pastry treasure box filled with sweet seared scallops and potatoes whipped with olive oil.
A reopened Marcel’s reminds me that fine dining, especially now, is about more than food | Tom Sietsema | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostThe smells of roasting maize, diesel fumes, and floral soap from the streets of Harare are still seared into my brain.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It) | Todd Moss | September 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTImagine the image seared into their brains of their father being tased as he called on passersby to help him.
Action has a YouTube cooking show “Action in the Kitchen,” where he cooks things like “sushi-grade seared Ahi tuna.”
2 Chainz, Snoop Lion, and More Rappers in the Kitchen | Filipa Ioannou | August 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It will, however, be a memory that is seared in the brains of Britons for years to come.
Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty.
Full Text of President Obama's Inaugural Address | Justin Green | January 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIt follows deep wounds such as are made by a hayrake or a pitchfork; or seared wounds, such as are made by a toy pistol.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin MalleyAcid fumes escaping under the vat lids made the haze and seared the man's throat.
In the Dark | Ronal KayserAnother seared his face and hands with a large red-hot iron, holding it finally with his mouth without other support.
He was nearly naked; his back was seared with scars, and his flesh was wasted to the bone.
The Duty of Disobedience to the Fugitive Slave Act | Lydia Maria ChildA man may have his leg broken, then his nails pulled out, then be seared with a hot iron.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce | Ambrose Bierce
British Dictionary definitions for sear (1 of 2)
/ (sɪə) /
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
a mark caused by searing
poetic dried up
Origin of sear
1British Dictionary definitions for sear (2 of 2)
/ (sɪə) /
the catch in the lock of a small firearm that holds the hammer or firing pin cocked
Origin of sear
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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