shear off
phrasal verb
sheared off; sheared off or shorn off; shearing off; shears off
1
: to become separated suddenly because of great force
The excess weight caused the bolt to shear off.
2
: to remove (something) with great force
The impact of the crash sheared off the airplane's wing.
Examples of shear off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the 1990s, Natale saw a falling dredge shear off a deckhand’s extended right arm.
—
C.j. Chivers James Patrick Cronin Elena Hecht Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 6 June 2024
Certain varieties of seaweed, like nori, are sheared off rocks with scissors in the harvesting process.
—Iona Brannon, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2023
Even if Kyiv ultimately has to settle for a political settlement that requires concessions, Putin will have failed to subordinate Ukraine, shear off vast tracts of its territory, including its coasts, and attach them to a Greater Russia.
—Rajan Menon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2023
The impact sheared off both wings and the tail of the plane.
—USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2024
Each passing year, as storms strike North Texas, forceful gusts would shear off branches and topple trees.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024
The plane hit the mountain, and the impact sheared off both wings and the plane's tail.
—USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
The docks broke free during heavy winds Sunday and started moving down Taylor Slough in this far eastern Contra Costa community, shearing off parts of private docks along the way.
—Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2024
Claudel sheared off the head and arms and one knee, leaving the feet planted on the ground to support the woman’s body, a choice that emphasizes the agonized curve of her back, with its perfectly articulated spine.
—Farah Peterson, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2023
C.j. Chivers James Patrick Cronin Elena Hecht Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 6 June 2024
Certain varieties of seaweed, like nori, are sheared off rocks with scissors in the harvesting process.
—Iona Brannon, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2023
Even if Kyiv ultimately has to settle for a political settlement that requires concessions, Putin will have failed to subordinate Ukraine, shear off vast tracts of its territory, including its coasts, and attach them to a Greater Russia.
—Rajan Menon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2023
The impact sheared off both wings and the tail of the plane.
—USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2024
Each passing year, as storms strike North Texas, forceful gusts would shear off branches and topple trees.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024
The plane hit the mountain, and the impact sheared off both wings and the plane's tail.
—USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
The docks broke free during heavy winds Sunday and started moving down Taylor Slough in this far eastern Contra Costa community, shearing off parts of private docks along the way.
—Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2024
Claudel sheared off the head and arms and one knee, leaving the feet planted on the ground to support the woman’s body, a choice that emphasizes the agonized curve of her back, with its perfectly articulated spine.
—Farah Peterson, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shear off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shear off
Cite this Entry
“Shear off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shear%20off. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.
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