- past participle of shear.
shorn
Americanverb
verb
Other Word Forms
Explanation
If something is shorn, it's trimmed, clipped, or shaved. A shorn sheep is considerably less fluffy than one that isn't shorn. If your brother gets his curls closely cropped, you can describe him as shorn, and you can also say your weedy front lawn is shorn once you've barreled through it with a lawnmower. This adjective, however, is most often applied to wooly animals. Shorn sheep may look cold and skinny, but thoughtful shearers won't leave them in this state during the chilly months.
Vocabulary lists containing shorn
Nowhere Boy
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Every Falling Star
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Wolf Hollow
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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.
Ann Van Eetvelt, a specialist from Lurgan Sheep Vet in Aberfeldy, says there are a number of potential animal welfare issues which arise from not being shorn.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
However, the sale means the group is shorn of its most profitable division, raising the danger that it falls short of its revenue growth forecasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
Mr. Ehnes gave it fresh life in a reflective reading generally shorn of showy gestures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
It means a seam attack shorn of 1,308 Test wickets, with the shoulder injury that prompted Chris Woakes' international retirement taking away another 192.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
Dark, ruined ships appear, scuttled or destroyed, one with its bow shorn away, a second flickering as it burns.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
