- 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.
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
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
Clip-clip went Dedd’s shears, as if to drown out anything I might be thinking.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
