The difference between Mere and Sheer
When used as nouns, mere means a sea, whereas sheer means a sheer curtain or fabric.
When used as verbs, mere means to limit, whereas sheer means to swerve from a course.
When used as adjectives, mere means famous, whereas sheer means very thin or transparent.
Sheer is also adverb with the meaning: clean.
check bellow for the other definitions of Mere and Sheer
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Mere as a noun (obsolete):
A sea.
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Mere as a noun (dialectal, or, literary):
A body of standing water, such as a lake or a pond. More specifically, it can refer to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth. Also included in place names such as .
Examples:
"rfquotek Tennyson"
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Mere as a noun:
Boundary, limit; a boundary-marker; boundary-line.
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Mere as a verb (transitive, obsolete):
To limit; bound; divide or cause division in.
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Mere as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):
To set divisions and bounds.
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Mere as a verb (cartography):
To decide upon the position of a boundary; to position it on a map.
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Mere as an adjective (obsolete):
Famous.
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Mere as an adjective (obsolete):
Pure, unalloyed .
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Mere as an adjective (obsolete):
Nothing less than; complete, downright .
Examples:
"I saved a mere 10 pounds this week."
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Mere as an adjective:
Just, only; no more than , pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected.
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Mere as a noun:
A Maori war-club.
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Sheer as an adjective (textiles):
Very thin or transparent.
Examples:
"Her light, sheer dress caught everyone’s attention."
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Sheer as an adjective (obsolete):
Pure in composition; unmixed; unadulterated.
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Sheer as an adjective (by extension):
Downright; complete; pure.
Examples:
"I think it is sheer genius to invent such a thing."
"This poem is sheer nonsense."
"Through technological wizardry and sheer audacity, Google has shown how we can transform the intellectual riches of our libraries...."
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Sheer as an adjective:
Examples:
"The army's sheer size made it impossible to resist."
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Sheer as an adjective:
Very steep; almost vertical or perpendicular.
Examples:
"It was a sheer drop of 180 feet."
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Sheer as an adverb (archaic):
Clean; quite; at once.
Examples:
"rfquotek Milton"
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Sheer as a noun:
A sheer curtain or fabric.
Examples:
"Use sheers to maximize natural light."
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Sheer as a noun (nautical):
The curve of the main deck or gunwale from bow to stern.
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Sheer as a noun (nautical):
An abrupt swerve from the course of a ship.
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Sheer as a verb (chiefly, nautical):
To swerve from a course.
Examples:
"A horse sheers at a bicycle."
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Sheer as a verb (obsolete):
To shear.
Examples:
"rfquotek Dryden"