sheer

¹ American  

[sheer] / ʃɪər /

adjective

sheerer, sheerest

1. transparently thin; diaphanous, as some fabrics.

   sheer silk.

   Antonyms:

   opaque

2. unmixed with anything else.

   We drilled a hundred feet through sheer rock.

   Synonyms:

   unadulterated, pure, simple, mere

3. unqualified; utter.

   sheer nonsense.

   Synonyms:

   downright, absolute

4. extending down or up very steeply; almost completely vertical.

   a sheer descent of rock.

   Synonyms:

   precipitous, abrupt

5. British Obsolete. bright; shining.

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adverb

1. clear; completely; clean.

   ran sheer into the thick of battle.

   Synonyms:

   entirely, totally

2. perpendicularly; vertically; down or up very steeply.

noun

1. a thin, diaphanous material, as chiffon or voile.

sheer ² American  

[sheer] / ʃɪər /

verb (used without object)

1. to deviate from a course, as a ship; swerve.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to sheer.

2. Shipbuilding. to give sheer to (a hull).

noun

1. a deviation or divergence, as of a ship from its course; swerve.

2. Shipbuilding. the fore-and-aft upward curve of the hull of a vessel at the main deck or bulwarks.

3. Nautical. the position in which a ship at anchor is placed to keep it clear of the anchor.

sheer ¹ British  

/ ʃɪə /

adjective

1. perpendicular; very steep

   a sheer cliff

2. (of textiles) so fine as to be transparent

3. (prenominal) absolute; unmitigated

   sheer folly

4. obsolete bright or shining

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adverb

1. steeply or perpendicularly

2. completely or absolutely

noun

1. any transparent fabric used for making garments

sheer ² British  

/ ʃɪə /

verb

1. to deviate or cause to deviate from a course

2. (intr) to avoid an unpleasant person, thing, topic, etc

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noun

1. the upward sweep of the deck or bulwarks of a vessel

2. nautical the position of a vessel relative to its mooring

Other Word Forms

• sheerly
  adverb
• sheerness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sheer¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English scere, shere, schere “free, clear, bright, thin”; probably from Old Norse skǣrr; change of sk- from s(c)h- perhaps by influence of the related Old English scīr ( English dialect shire “clear, pure, thin”); cognate with German schier, Old Norse skīr, Gothic skeirs “clear”

Origin of sheer²

First recorded in 1620–30; of uncertain origin; perhaps a special use of sheer ¹

Explanation

If your curtains allow light to pass through, they're sheer, or see-through. Sheer can also describe something steep, like a cliff, or anything extreme, like sheer nerve. This word has several meanings, but they're all extreme. You might want to layer a sheer shirt over a tank top. Climbing a sheer cliff is almost impossible. If your car sheers, it swerves sharply, and you might crash. Maybe you've met all these meanings in a single nightmare: When the sheer fabric blew over your face as you drove, you lost control and the car began to sheer, filling you with sheer terror as you went over the sheer cliff.

Example Sentences

Salah would never have scaled such heights without that sheer single-mindedness and desire to become the best footballer possible.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

On the other hand, markets are in uncharted territory when it comes to the sheer volume of stock changing hands.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

AVA Toluca Hills Apartments ranked third, though its placement on the list is partly due to the sheer number of rentals.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

All of them outgrew Phoenix in sheer numbers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

I’m in my bed, staring up at the canopy and wondering how mad my mom would be if I tore all the sheer white fabric off.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Related Words

• outright
• pure
• simple
• unadulterated
• unalloyed
• unmitigated