1 [onlybeforenoun] used to emphasize the size, degree or amount of sth:
The area is under threat from the sheer number of tourists using it. * We were impressed by the sheer size of the cathedral.
2 [onlybeforenoun] complete and not mixed with anything else:
The concert was sheer delight. * I only agreed out of sheer desperation.
3 very steep:
sheer cliffs / slopes * Outside there was a sheer drop down to the sea below.
4 (of fabrics, etc.) thin, light and almost transparent:
sheer nylon
adverb straight up or down:
The cliffs rise sheer from the beach. * The ground dropped sheer away at our feet.
Part of speech: verb
PHRASALVERBS
sheer away / off (from sth) to change direction suddenly, especially in order to avoid hitting sth:
The car sheered away, just missing the bike. * (figurative) Her mind sheered away from images she did not wish to dwell on.
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About this entry
This is a English–English dictionary entry.
Sourced from Main Dictionary in Lughet's collection.
This word also appears under other sources in Lughet's collection — see the list below.
This entry for sheer is sourced from Main Dictionary, one of the dictionaries and corpora merged into Lughet.
Is sheer a noun, verb, or something else?
In this entry, sheer is tagged as adjective.
Does sheer appear elsewhere on Lughet?
Yes — sheer appears under other sources or language pairs in Lughet's collection. See the list below.
What is Lughet?
Lughet is a free trilingual dictionary covering nearly five million entries across Uyghur, Chinese, and English, drawn from more than ten source dictionaries and corpora.
