Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Sheer \Sheer\, adv.
   Clean; quite; at once. [Obs.] --Milton.

Sheer \Sheer\, v. t. [See {Shear}.]
   To shear. [Obs.] --Dryden.

Sheer \Sheer\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Sheered}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Sheering}.] [D. sheren to shear, cut, withdraw, warp. See
   {Shear}.]
   To decline or deviate from the line of the proper course; to
   turn aside; to swerve; as, a ship sheers from her course; a
   horse sheers at a bicycle.

   {To sheer off}, to turn or move aside to a distance; to move
      away.

   {To sheer up}, to approach obliquely.

Sheer \Sheer\, n.
   1. (Naut.)
      (a) The longitudinal upward curvature of the deck,
          gunwale, and lines of a vessel, as when viewed from
          the side.
      (b) The position of a vessel riding at single anchor and
          swinging clear of it.

   2. A turn or change in a course.

            Give the canoe a sheer and get nearer to the shore.
                                                  --Cooper.

   3. pl. Shears See {Shear}.

   {Sheer batten} (Shipbuilding), a long strip of wood to guide
      the carpenters in following the sheer plan.

   {Sheer boom}, a boom slanting across a stream to direct
      floating logs to one side.

   {Sheer hulk}. See {Shear hulk}, under {Hulk}.

   {Sheer plan}, or {Sheer draught} (Shipbuilding), a projection
      of the lines of a vessel on a vertical longitudinal plane
      passing through the middle line of the vessel.

   {Sheer pole} (Naut.), an iron rod lashed to the shrouds just
      above the dead-eyes and parallel to the ratlines.

   {Sheer strake} (Shipbuilding), the strake under the gunwale
      on the top side. --Totten.

   {To break sheer} (Naut.), to deviate from sheer, and risk
      fouling the anchor.

Sheer \Sheer\, a. [OE. shere, skere, pure, bright, Icel. sk?rr;
   akin to sk[=i]rr, AS. sc[=i]r, OS. sk[=i]ri, MHG. sch[=i]r,
   G. schier, Dan. sk?r, Sw. sk["a]r, Goth. skeirs clear, and E.
   shine. [root]157. See {Shine}, v. i.]
   1. Bright; clear; pure; unmixed. ``Sheer ale.'' --Shak.

            Thou sheer, immaculate, and silver fountain. --Shak.

   2. Very thin or transparent; -- applied to fabrics; as, sheer
      muslin.

   3. Being only what it seems to be; obvious; simple; mere;
      downright; as, sheer folly; sheer nonsense. ``A sheer
      impossibility.'' --De Quincey.

            It is not a sheer advantage to have several strings
            to one's bow.                         --M. Arnold.

   4. Stright up and down; vertical; prpendicular.

            A sheer precipice of a thousand feet. --J. D.
                                                  Hooker.

            It was at least Nine roods of sheer ascent.
                                                  --Wordsworth.

Source : WordNet®

sheer
     adj 1: complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes
            used informally as intensifiers; "absolute freedom";
            "an absolute dimwit"; "a downright lie"; "out-and-out
            mayhem"; "an out-and-out lie"; "a rank outsider";
            "many right-down vices"; "got the job through sheer
            persistence"; "sheer stupidity" [syn: {absolute}, {downright},
             {out-and-out(a)}, {rank(a)}, {right-down}, {sheer(a)}]
     2: not mixed with extraneous elements; "plain water"; "sheer
        wine"; "not an unmixed blessing" [syn: {plain}, {unmingled},
         {unmixed}]
     3: very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front; "a
        bluff headland"; "where the bold chalk cliffs of England
        rise"; "a sheer descent of rock" [syn: {bluff}, {bold}]
     4: so thin as to transmit light; "a hat with a diaphanous
        veil"; "filmy wings of a moth"; "gauzy clouds of dandelion
        down"; "gossamer cobwebs"; "sheer silk stockings";
        "transparent chiffon"; "vaporous silks" [syn: {diaphanous},
         {filmy}, {gauzy}, {gossamer}, {see-through}, {transparent},
         {vaporous}, {cobwebby}]
     adv 1: straight up or down without a break [syn: {perpendicularly}]
     2: directly; "he fell sheer into the water"
     v 1: turn sharply; change direction abruptly; "The car cut to the
          left at the intersection"; "The motorbike veered to the
          right" [syn: {swerve}, {curve}, {trend}, {veer}, {slue},
           {slew}, {cut}]
     2: cause to sheer; "She sheered her car around the obstacle"