Definitions for sheer
ʃɪərsheer

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.6 / 5 votes

1. absolute, downright, out-and-out(a), rank(a), right-down, sheer(a)adjective

   complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers

   "absolute freedom"; "an absolute dimwit"; "a downright lie"; "out-and-out mayhem"; "an out-and-out lie"; "a rank outsider"; "many right-down vices"; "got the job through sheer persistence"; "sheer stupidity"

2. plain, sheer, unmingled, unmixedadjective

   not mixed with extraneous elements

   "plain water"; "sheer wine"; "not an unmixed blessing"

3. bluff, bold, sheeradjective

   very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front

   "a bluff headland"; "where the bold chalk cliffs of England rise"; "a sheer descent of rock"

4. diaphanous, filmy, gauzy, gauze-like, gossamer, see-through, sheer, transparent, vaporous, vapourous, cobwebbyverb

   so thin as to transmit light

   "a hat with a diaphanous veil"; "filmy wings of a moth"; "gauzy clouds of dandelion down"; "gossamer cobwebs"; "sheer silk stockings"; "transparent chiffon"; "vaporous silks"

5. swerve, sheer, curve, trend, veer, slue, slew, cutverb

   turn sharply; change direction abruptly

   "The car cut to the left at the intersection"; "The motorbike veered to the right"

6. sheeradverb

   cause to sheer

   "She sheered her car around the obstacle"

7. sheer, perpendicularlyadverb

   straight up or down without a break

8. sheeradverb

   directly

   "he fell sheer into the water"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sheernoun

   The curve of the main deck or gunwale from bow to stern.

2. sheernoun

   An abrupt swerve from the course of a ship.

3. sheerverb

   To swerve from a course.

4. sheerverb

   To shear.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sheeradjective

   Pure; clear; unmingled.

   Etymology: scyr , Saxon.

   If she say, I am not fourteen pence on the score for sheer ale, score me up for the lying’st rogue in Christendom William Shakespeare.

   Sheer argument is not the talent of the man; little wrested sentences are the bladders which bear him up, and he sinks downright, when he once pretends to swim without them. Francis Atterbury.

2. Sheeradverb

   Clean; quick; at once.

   Etymology: from the adjective.

   Thrown by angry Jove
   Sheer o’er the crystal battlements; from morn
   To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve,
   A summer’s day; and with the setting sun,
   Drop’d from the zenith, like a falling star,
   On Lemnos. John Milton.

   The sword of Satan, with steep force to smite
   Descending, and in half cut sheer. John Milton.

   Due entrance he disdain’d, and in contempt
   At one slight bound high overleap’d all bound
   Of hill or highest wall, and sheer within
   Lights on his feet. John Milton.

3. To Sheerverb

   I keep my birth-day; send my Phillis home
   At sheering-time. Dryden.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sheer

   Sheer is an adjective that can generally refer to something extremely or utmost in degree, amount or intensity. It can also describe something complete and pure. In context, sheer is often used to describe materials that are thin and transparent like sheer fabric. Additionally, it may refer to a steep or abrupt surface of something like a cliff.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. Sheerverb

   bright; clear; pure; unmixed

2. Sheerverb

   very thin or transparent; -- applied to fabrics; as, sheer muslin

3. Sheerverb

   being only what it seems to be; obvious; simple; mere; downright; as, sheer folly; sheer nonsense

4. Sheerverb

   stright up and down; vertical; prpendicular

5. Sheeradverb

   clean; quite; at once

6. Sheerverb

   to shear

7. Sheerverb

   to decline or deviate from the line of the proper course; to turn aside; to swerve; as, a ship sheers from her course; a horse sheers at a bicycle

8. Sheernoun

   the longitudinal upward curvature of the deck, gunwale, and lines of a vessel, as when viewed from the side

9. Sheernoun

   the position of a vessel riding at single anchor and swinging clear of it

10. Sheernoun

    a turn or change in a course

11. Sheernoun

    shears See Shear

12. Etymology: [See Shear.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. Sheer

   shēr, adj. pure: unmingled: simple: without a break, perpendicular.—adv. clear: quite: at once. [Ice. skærr, bright; Ice. skírr, A.S. scír.]

2. Sheer

   shēr, v.i. to deviate from the line of the proper course, as a ship: to turn aside.—n. the deviation from the straight line, or the longitudinal curve or bend of a ship's deck or sides.—ns. Sheer′-hulk, an old dismasted ship with a pair of sheers mounted on it for masting ships; Sheer′-leg, one of the spars.—n.pl. Sheers, an apparatus for hoisting heavy weights, having usually two legs or spars spread apart at their lower ends, and bearing at their tops, where they are joined, hoisting-tackle. [Perh. Dut. scheren, to cut, withdraw.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sheer

   The longitudinal curve of a ship's decks or sides; the hanging of the vessel's side in a fore-and-aft direction. Also, a fishing-spear in use on the south coast. (See SHEAR.) Also, the position in which a ship is sometimes kept when at single anchor, in order to keep her clear of it [evidently from the Erse sheebh, to drift].

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sheer

   Shear vs. Sheer -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Shear and Sheer.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. SHEER

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Sheer is ranked #31656 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Sheer surname appeared 730 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Sheer.
   
   93.5% or 683 total occurrences were White.
   2.7% or 20 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   1.6% or 12 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   1.2% or 9 total occurrences were Asian.
   0.8% or 6 total occurrences were Black.

Matched Categories

1. • Turn

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sheer' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4341

2. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'sheer' in Adjectives Frequency: #587

Anagrams for sheer »

1. sereh

2. shree

3. herse

How to pronounce sheer?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say sheer in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of sheer in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of sheer in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of sheer in a Sentence

1. David Brown:

   Everybody can find their own Turner, he has so much to offer. It's the sheer color and excitement of the paint which people respond to.

2. Joseph Addison:

   I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable.

3. Oscar Wilde:

   The basis of optimism is sheer terror.

4. Johann von Goethe:

   God could cause us considerable embarrassment by revealing all the secrets of nature to us we should not know what to do for sheer apathy and boredom.

5. David Brown:

   He has so much to offer. It's the sheer color and excitement of the paint which people respond to.

Popularity rank by frequency of use