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

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

“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

We work side by side, using flat-bottomed trowels and occasionally shears to cut the vines and roots that weave through the blanket of dirt.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson