» For similarly pronounced words, see sheer, Shere, or sher. Shear as a noun may refer to: Bias (textile), in clothing design, fabric may be cut on the shear Cosmic shear, an effect of distortion of image of distant galaxies due to deflection of light by matter, as predicted by general relativity (see also weak lensing and gravitational lens) Shear (geology), a form of fault in rocks Guillotine (metalwork), also called a shear, a machine used to cut sheet metal Simple shear, a special case… (More on Shear)