seared; searing; sears
: to cause withering or drying
1
: to make withered and dry : parch
2
a
: to burn, scorch, mark, or injure with or as if with sudden application of intense heat
b
: to cook the surface of quickly with intense heat
sear a steak
: the catch that holds the hammer of a gun's lock at cock or half cock
Synonyms
Examples of sear in a Sentence
Verb
The tree was seared by lightning.
The flames seared my skin.
The steak was seared over a hot grill.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ayelet Waldman, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024
The shocking collapse of the 1.6-mile bridge, seared into the memories of the countless people who viewed video of the ship bearing down on the bridge, was described by officials as an accident.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Climate change has caused searing heat, and increasing frequency and intensity of extremely weather events across the world.
—Jordan Fabian, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2024
If there is a fat cap on the edge of the steak, start by searing that for 2 to 3 minutes until browned.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Or that the political swampland will find a use for stubborn tenacity and searing ambition.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Many ancient redwoods were seared in a 2020 fire that devastated 97% of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the oldest state park, according to the state parks foundation report.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Place the collars skin-side down and sear them until the skin is golden and crispy.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Setting the sheet pan on the bottom rack, which is nearest to the heat source, turns it into a big skillet and helps the bottoms of the vegetables sizzle and sear.
—Ali Slagle, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Coat an oven-safe pan with cooking oil on high heat and sear collars skin-side down until browned and crisp.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Another would ban auto sears, which convert semi-automatic handguns into automatic weapons.
—Sarah Rankin, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
The fractured parts included the tip of the trigger, the sear and the hammer.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024
There’s no need for an initial sear on the meat either; that sauce packs more than enough umami flavor.
—Inés Anguiano, Bon Appétit, 13 Feb. 2024
It’s designed with loop handles for easy maneuvering, two drip spouts to help drain grease, and high ridges to create the perfect sear lines.
—Amber C. Snider, Peoplemag, 28 Dec. 2023
What Could Be Better The heat conduction was spotty delivering an uneven sear in some of our tests.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2023
With the ability to fry, braise, sear, steam, sauté, and boil all within one pot, this Dutch oven can replace a variety of cookware and is indispensable in the kitchen.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 19 Jan. 2024
Verb
Then Darrell felt a blast of searing heat and a concussive thump at his back, and he was thrown to the ground.
—Ayelet Waldman, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024
The shocking collapse of the 1.6-mile bridge, seared into the memories of the countless people who viewed video of the ship bearing down on the bridge, was described by officials as an accident.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Climate change has caused searing heat, and increasing frequency and intensity of extremely weather events across the world.
—Jordan Fabian, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2024
If there is a fat cap on the edge of the steak, start by searing that for 2 to 3 minutes until browned.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Or that the political swampland will find a use for stubborn tenacity and searing ambition.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Many ancient redwoods were seared in a 2020 fire that devastated 97% of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the oldest state park, according to the state parks foundation report.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Place the collars skin-side down and sear them until the skin is golden and crispy.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Setting the sheet pan on the bottom rack, which is nearest to the heat source, turns it into a big skillet and helps the bottoms of the vegetables sizzle and sear.
—Ali Slagle, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
Youngkin also signed identical House and Senate bills prohibiting the manufacture, sale or possession of an auto sear, a device used to convert a semiautomatic firearm into an automatic weapon.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Coat an oven-safe pan with cooking oil on high heat and sear collars skin-side down until browned and crisp.
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Another would ban auto sears, which convert semi-automatic handguns into automatic weapons.
—Sarah Rankin, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
The fractured parts included the tip of the trigger, the sear and the hammer.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024
There’s no need for an initial sear on the meat either; that sauce packs more than enough umami flavor.
—Inés Anguiano, Bon Appétit, 13 Feb. 2024
It’s designed with loop handles for easy maneuvering, two drip spouts to help drain grease, and high ridges to create the perfect sear lines.
—Amber C. Snider, Peoplemag, 28 Dec. 2023
What Could Be Better The heat conduction was spotty delivering an uneven sear in some of our tests.
—Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2023
With the ability to fry, braise, sear, steam, sauté, and boil all within one pot, this Dutch oven can replace a variety of cookware and is indispensable in the kitchen.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 19 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sear
Cite this Entry
“Sear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sear. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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