- present tense form of shear (3rd person singular).
shears
Britishplural noun
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large scissors, as for cutting cloth, jointing poultry, etc
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a large scissor-like and usually hand-held cutting tool with flat blades, as for cutting hedges
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any of various analogous cutting or clipping implements or machines
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short for sheerlegs
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informal (of a sheep) newly shorn
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.
While Ernest Wright is proud of its long history, its the latest manufacturing technology that has helped it create a niche in the market for scissors and shears.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
I found the most beautiful, and still-sharp, Japanese sewing shears.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
That means buying fresh lobsters from your local market, boiling them and using kitchen shears to slice their shells from head to tail.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2024
As our planet’s atmosphere warms, wind shears — variations in wind direction or speed — within jet streams are increasing and therefore strengthening clear-air turbulence.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
He wore a heard that had been cut square across the bottom with shears and he had a tattoo of a bird on his neck done by someone with an informed notion of their appearance.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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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.