shears

British  

/ ʃɪəz /

plural noun

1. 1. large scissors, as for cutting cloth, jointing poultry, etc

   2. a large scissor-like and usually hand-held cutting tool with flat blades, as for cutting hedges

2. any of various analogous cutting or clipping implements or machines

3. short for sheerlegs

4. informal (of a sheep) newly shorn

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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

Appearing with a shaved head, Alcaraz said his brother had a mishap with the shears when giving him a trim, leaving him no choice but to opt for a buzz-cut.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025

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

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

She was snipping off the seedpods with a pair of shears.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood