“Shear” or “Sheer”—Which to use?

“Shear” or “Sheer”

Overview

shear / sheer are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

shear: (noun) (physics) a deformation of an object in which parallel planes remain parallel but are shifted in a direction parallel to themselves. (noun) a large edge tool that cuts sheet metal by passing a blade through it. (verb) cut with shears. (verb) cut or cut through with shears. (verb) become deformed by forces tending to produce a shearing strain.

sheer: (verb) cause to sheer. (adverb) straight up or down without a break. (adverb) directly.

Pronunciation

shear: sh·IH·r

sheer: sh·IH·r

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Examples in Context

Examples of “shear”

…a ridge, and despite the shear it developed into a tropical…
Despite the presence of strong shear, the system was upgraded to…
…an area of moderate wind shear.
…deforms (flows) under an applied shear stress.
…for development, with low wind shear and a large anticyclone providing…
…and due to the wind shear it was never expected to
…into a flat car; Barry Shear and Jan Berry were injured,…
…as well as unfavorable wind shear.
Increased wind shear due to an approaching trough…
…an upper-level low increased wind shear over the storm, which exposed…

Examples of “sheer”

…the shoreline, which is mostly sheer rock faces or steep, stony
The sheer east face of the Rock…
…that: "Nicki wins for the sheer number of words she's managed…
By sheer force and power of evading…
…sports, but satisfied at the sheer looniness of the comedy here."
…in this aesthetic that was sheer nostalgia.
…reliance time and again on sheer power, while Britain increasingly appealed…
…new visual imagination and the sheer number of artists [...] from…
Mills claimed that "the sheer number of arrests, 583 to…
…become necessary due to its sheer size and the numerous threats…

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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