- 1[transitive] shear something to cut the wool off a sheep It was time for the sheep to be shorn. sheep shearing
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- 2[transitive] shear something (formal) to cut off someone's hair shorn hair
- 3[intransitive, transitive] shear (something) (off) (technology) (especially of metal) to break under pressure; to cut through something and make it break The bolts holding the wheel in place sheared off. Phrasal Verbsbe shorn of
shear
verbNAmE//ʃɪr//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they shear he / she / it shears
past simple sheared
past participle shorn
past participle sheared
-ing form shearing
Check pronunciation: shear