verb

shear

sheer

verb

To cut the wool off a sheep or similar animal.

"The farmer shears his flock every spring before the weather turns warm."

To cut through something cleanly, or to break suddenly under sideways force.

"The bolt sheared off under the strain, and the panel came loose."

"Strong winds can shear the branches right off a tree."

noun

A force that pushes two parts of an object in opposite, parallel directions.

"Engineers calculate the shear on a beam before deciding how thick it needs to be."

How to Use Shear

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo cut or clip something (classically, a sheep's wool), or the sideways force that causes materials to snap or slide apart.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "sheer," which means thin/transparent or a steep drop — the two are pronounced identically but spelled and used differently.

Easily confused with

sheer →

Common pairings

shear a sheep shear force shear off

sheared past tense, shore past tense, shorn past tense, shears plural, Shears plural, shears singular

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The farmer _____ his flock every spring before the weather turns warm.

From Old English sċieran, "to shear or shave," an ancient Germanic word related to "shore" and "shard" through a root meaning "to cut."

ear year dear hear tear bear wear near fear pear gear rear