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The Collaborative International Dictionary
sheers

Shears \Shears\, n. pl. [Formerly used also in the singular. See Shear, n.,

  1. ] 1. A cutting instrument. Specifically:

    1. An instrument consisting of two blades, commonly with bevel edges, connected by a pivot, and working on both sides of the material to be cut, -- used for cutting cloth and other substances.

      Fate urged the shears, and cut the sylph in twain.
      --Pope.

    2. A similar instrument the blades of which are extensions of a curved spring, -- used for shearing sheep or skins.

    3. A shearing machine; a blade, or a set of blades, working against a resisting edge.

  2. Anything in the form of shears. Specifically:

    1. A pair of wings. [Obs.]
      --Spenser.

    2. An apparatus for raising heavy weights, and especially for stepping and unstepping the lower masts of ships. It consists of two or more spars or pieces of timber, fastened together near the top, steadied by a guy or guys, and furnished with the necessary tackle.

  3. (Mach.) The bedpiece of a machine tool, upon which a table or slide rest is secured; as, the shears of a lathe or planer. See Illust. under Lathe.

    Rotary shears. See under Rotary.

Wiktionary
sheers

n. 1 (plural of sheer English) 2 (context nautical English) sheerlegs. vb. (en-third-person singular of: sheer)

Usage examples of "sheers".

The men had made sheers from the spars that had previously lashed the cutters together, and an oar provided the support.

A heavy tackle slung from the sheers had hoisted the gun and several men were now manoeuvring the carriage directly under it.

At the time of writing the sheers were being rigged and the gun would be hoisted up on to its carriage and ready to open fire by dawn.

They watched in silence as the sheers moved forward to the stump of the Franklin's mainmast, fitting to it a curious object made up of yet another spare topmast and a hand-mast, the two coupled athwartships by two lower caps and a double upper cap above the refashioned maintop.

Then: “'When the world has nothing more to say, The last of the Sheers will fade away.

The Von Sheers are a very old family, tracing back to pre-Roman times.

From what he had seen of some of the French 74s, even though they had been mostly hidden by the smoke of the guns, they seemed fine ships: fine sheers, gunports high so that the ships could be fought with a heavy sea running, and with masts that sat in the hulls as though they belonged there.

The tartanes had pleasantly sweeping sheers while the galleys had almost flat sheers, with the banks of oars moving in unison as though the craft were breathing.

She turned on only a small bedside lamp, and gauzy sheers hung between the drapes, and she always stayed away from the windows, so she saw no need to draw the drapes on every occasion.

Even through the sheers and in the dim lamplight, her exquisite body had been revealed to Harry in detail.

The two large windows were covered with gauzy sheers, which further filtered the ashen daylight.

In panties and T-shirt, her usual sleeping attire, she moved through the dark room to the window, where she parted the sheers between the drapes.