Meaning & use
scissor
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Meanings
verbtransitiveinformal
To cut something with scissors, or to cut it in a way that looks like scissors.
Grammar: Takes an object: scissor the paper.
Patterns
- scissor something out
- scissor something off
She scissored the coupon out of the newspaper.
He scissored a strip of cloth from the hem.
The child scissored the paper into tiny pieces.
verbtransitive or intransitivesport
To move the legs or arms back and forth across each other like the blades of scissors.
Grammar: Often used in sport or exercise: scissor your legs.
Patterns
- scissor your legs
- scissor across something
The swimmer scissored her legs in a strong kick.
He scissored over the bar in a high jump.
Dancers scissored their legs in the air.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Describing something that has two parts that cross or close together like blades of scissors.
Grammar: Appears in set phrases: scissor lift, scissor kick.
Patterns
- a scissor lift
- a scissor kick
A worker rode the scissor lift to the ceiling.
The player scored with a scissor kick.
The table has a scissor mechanism that folds flat.
Word forms
| third person singular | scissors |
|---|---|
| past tense | scissored |
| past participle | scissored |
| -ing form | scissoring |
Common combinations
- scissor kick
- The swimmer used a scissor kick.
- scissor lift
- The crew used a scissor lift to change the light.
- scissor legs
- Scissor legs back and forth during the exercise.
- scissor out
- Scissor out the picture and paste it.
- scissor jump
- He cleared the bar with a scissor jump.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snip
- Snip means a quick small cut, while scissor can describe the tool or a crossing movement.
- clip
- Clip is to trim something short, often with a different tool, and is less specific than scissor.
- cut
- Cut is the general verb and does not tell you the tool or movement used.
- cross
- Cross is the general word for moving one thing over another, without the cutting action.
Word family
- scissors noun
- a tool with two blades for cutting, always plural
- scissoring noun
- a movement like closing scissors
- scissored adjective
- cut or moved like scissors
Commonly confused: scissor or scissors?
scissor vs scissors
The tool is a plural noun: a pair of scissors. The singular scissor is mainly used as a verb or before another noun.
Practice
Which sentence uses the singular 'scissor' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Scissor works before kick as a modifier. The tool itself is scissors or a pair of scissors, so the others are wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scissor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.