- 1[only before noun] used to emphasize the size, degree, or amount of something The area is under threat from the sheer number of tourists using it. We were impressed by the sheer size of the cathedral.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- 2[only before noun] complete and not mixed with anything else synonym utter The concert was sheer delight. I only agreed out of sheer desperation.
- 3very steep sheer cliffs/slopes Outside there was a sheer drop down to the sea below.
- 4(of cloth, etc.) thin, light, and almost transparent sheer nylon
Check pronunciation: sheer