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.
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
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
If you don’t sew, don’t worry, she says, “you can cut them with pinking shears or use no-sew iron-on tape.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024
In the salvage yard Monday morning, workers disassembled the metal trusses by attacking them with propane torches and a pair of giant shears that sliced them into more manageable pieces.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2024
Ma also joins me to watch The Brady Bunch for half an hour before bending over the cloth, shears in hand.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
