noun
scissors
SIH-zuhz
noun
1
A tool with two pivoting blades used for cutting paper, fabric, hair and other thin materials.
"She trimmed the wrapping paper with a pair of scissors."
"The hairdresser reached for her scissors and started cutting."
2
In wrestling or similar sports, a hold in which the legs are locked around an opponent like closing blades.
"He took his opponent down with a scissors around the waist."
How to Use Scissors
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe everyday cutting tool with two blades joined at a pivot, plus a related move in sports where the legs cross like blades.
Common mistake
Scissors is normally treated as plural ("these scissors are sharp"); to talk about more than one pair, say "two pairs of scissors," not "two scissors."
Common pairings
a pair of scissors
blunt scissors
kitchen scissors
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She trimmed the wrapping paper with a pair of _____.
Etymology
From Old French cisoirs, going back to Late Latin cīsōria, "cutting tools." The modern spelling with "sc-" came later, in the 1500s, when people wrongly linked the word to Latin scissor, meaning "tailor" or "cutter."