sheer

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ˈʃɪə/
• (US) IPA ^(key): /ʃɪr/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Homophone: shear

Verb

Plain form sheer

Third-person singular sheers

Past tense sheered

Past participle sheered

Present participle sheering

1. To sheer is to turn sharply or change direction quickly.

   The lion hoped that one of the deer would sheer off from the herd so he could catch it.

Adjective

Positive sheer

Comparative none

Superlative none

1. Sheer is total, complete, without anything to hold it back.

   When people heard the air raid siren they ran around in sheer panic.

2. Something that is sheer is very steep, almost vertical.

   They came to the edge of the cliff, with a sheer drop into the valley below.

3. Sheer material is so thin you can almost see through it.

   She wore her high heel shoes and her sheer silk stockings.