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sheer

/ʃɪɚ/verb, adjective, adverb1 syllable

Sheer means: so thin as to transmit light.

Synonyms for sheer41

verb, as in turn sharply; change direction abruptly

swerve, curve, trend, veer, slue, slew, cut

adjective, as in so thin as to transmit light

diaphanous, filmy, gauzy, gauze-like, gossamer, see-through, transparent, vaporous, vapourous, cobwebby, thin

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

absolute, downright, out-and-out, rank, right-down, complete

adjective, as in not mixed with extraneous elements

plain, unmingled, unmixed, pure

adjective, as in very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front

bluff, bold, steep

adverb, as in straight up or down without a break

perpendicularly

also used for sheer

unmitigated, utter, abject, frightful, arrant, categoric, categorical, perpendicular, vertical

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does sheer mean?8

adjective

1

so thin as to transmit light“a hat with a diaphanous veil”

2

complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers“absolute freedom”

3

not mixed with extraneous elements“plain water”

4

very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front“a bluff headland”

verb

1

turn sharply; change direction abruptly“The car cut to the left at the intersection”

2

cause to sheer“She sheered her car around the obstacle”

adverb

1

straight up or down without a break

2

completely“he fell sheer into the water”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with sheer?50

Show 40 near rhymes
inisitwiththishisifwillwhichbeenitshimthinkdidyearsstillsincethingsthinggivebiguntilshitwithinwinbithitsixkidslistbringkilledmissfilmwishkingbillliveskillpick

All 50 rhymes for sheer, grouped by syllable

Sheer in a sentence

  • Miss, that dress is splendid, it has a sheer silhouette and is very classy.blay_paul
  • Some birds indulge in aerobatics, seemingly for the sheer pleasure of doing so.Adelpa
  • No offense, but the sheer thought of blood sausage makes me gag.DJ_Saidez
  • I memorized the fact sheet through sheer brute force.megamanenm
  • The sheer volume of disinformation is difficult to rebut.shekitten
  • He recalled that a collision had been avoided by sheer luck.unknown
  • I'm half tempted to crash the party just out of sheer curiosity.JHR
  • The sheer joy that radiates from within me when we meet is truly unmatched.Nuel

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of sheer

as a verb

past tense
sheered
present participle
sheering
third-person singular
sheers
past participle
sheered

as a adjective

comparative
sheerer
superlative
sheerest