shears
Britishplural noun
-
-
large scissors, as for cutting cloth, jointing poultry, etc
-
a large scissor-like and usually hand-held cutting tool with flat blades, as for cutting hedges
-
-
any of various analogous cutting or clipping implements or machines
-
short for sheerlegs
-
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.
I slipped on waterproof shoes, grabbed a pair of shears and, still in my pajamas, tiptoed down the grand staircase of the château and out onto the dewy grass of the garden.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
"I get the sheep shears on it for a mullet," she said.
From BBC • Jul. 24, 2024
“I can’t imagine how frightened those horses must have been,” Brad said as he cropped the grass tightly around the marble stone with garden shears.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 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
Maybe the shears would snap in Wylan’s hands.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
