Did you know?
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
sheer
- definition
What are red words?
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
more
/ʃɪə(r)/- 1[only before noun] used for emphasizing the amount or degree of something
Maya succeeded through sheer hard work.
the sheer size/volume etc of something:We were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work.
sheer weight of numbers (=the simple fact of being much greater in number):In the end, they overcame the enemy through sheer weight of numbers.
(by) sheer luck/coincidence:By sheer coincidence, we ended up working for the same organization.
sheer delight/joy/exhaustion etc:He sat down and wept out of sheer joy.
sheer hell/torture:The journey to work every day was sheer hell.
This is the British English definition of sheer. View American English definition of sheer.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.
vocal fry
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleWord of the Day
glottal stop
a sound made by stopping air as it passes through your throat. In some varieties of spoken...
Open Dictionary
conflict mineral
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
add a wordMore submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog