sear

[ seer ]

/ sɪər /

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See synonyms for: sear / seared / searer / searest on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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 make callous or unfeeling; harden: The hardship of her youth has seared her emotionally.

to dry up or wither; parch.

verb (used without object)

to become dry or withered, as vegetation.

noun

a mark or scar made by searing.

adjective

sere¹.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

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Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

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Origin of sear

before 900; (adj.) Middle English sere,Old English sēar; cognate with Dutch zoor; (v.) Middle English seren,Old English sēarian, derivative of sēar

synonym study for sear

1. See burn¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM sear

un·seared, adjective

Other definitions for sear (2 of 2)

sear²

[ seer ]

/ sɪər /

noun

a pivoted piece that holds the hammer at full cock or half cock in the firing mechanism of small arms.

Origin of sear

1550–60; <Middle French serre a grip, derivative of serrer to lock up, close <Vulgar Latin *serrāre, for Late Latin serāre to bar (a door), derivative of Latin sera door-bar; Vulgar Latin -rr- unexplained

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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 Post
The 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 Post
The 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|DAILY BEAST
Imagine the image seared into their brains of their father being tased as he called on passersby to help him.
Is America a Police State? For Many, Yes|Gene Robinson|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
It will, however, be a memory that is seared in the brains of Britons for years to come.
Andy Murray Makes History by Winning Wimbledon|Nicholas McCarvel|July 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
It 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 Malley
Acid fumes escaping under the vat lids made the haze and seared the man's throat.
In the Dark|Ronal Kayser
Another seared his face and hands with a large red-hot iron, holding it finally with his mouth without other support.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 11, No. 24, March, 1873|Various
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 Child
A 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)

sear¹

/ (sɪə) /

verb (tr)

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

a mark caused by searing

adjective

poetic dried up

Word Origin for sear

Old English sēarian to become withered, from sēar withered; related to Old High German sōrēn, Greek hauos dry, Sanskrit sōsa drought

British Dictionary definitions for sear (2 of 2)

sear²

/ (sɪə) /

noun

the catch in the lock of a small firearm that holds the hammer or firing pin cocked

Word Origin for sear

C16: probably from Old French serre a clasp, from serrer to hold firmly, from Late Latin sērāre to bolt, from Latin sera a bar

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

sear

Origin of sear

synonym study for sear

OTHER WORDS FROM sear

Other definitions for sear (2 of 2)

Origin of sear

Words related to sear

How to use sear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sear (1 of 2)

Word Origin for sear

British Dictionary definitions for sear (2 of 2)

Word Origin for sear