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shear verb (past tense sheared, past participle sheared or shorn, present participle shearing) 1 to clip or cut off something, especially with a large pair of clippers. 2 to cut the fleece off (a sheep). 3 to cut excess nap from (fabric). 4 (usually shear someone of something) to strip or deprive them of it • We'll have to shear him of his privileges • He was shorn of all authority. 5 tr & intr, engineering, physics (also shear off) to subject to a shear. noun 1 the act of shearing. 2 (shears) a large pair of clippers, or a scissor-like cutting tool with a pivot or spring. 3 engineering, physics a force acting parallel to a plane rather than at right angles to it. shearer noun someone who shears sheep.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon sceran.
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Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
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