How to use sear in a sentence

23 example sentences · adjective, verb, noun

Sear means dry; withered, especially of vegetation. Example: “He likes to sear his steaks while maintaining rareness at the center.”

Examples of sear by meaning

verbTo char, scorch, or burn the surface of (something) with a hot instrument.

He likes to sear his steaks while maintaining rareness at the center.
I will sear the skin from your flesh.2001, Ben Stivers, Wrath of Magic, page 123
When you drop the tuna onto the pan, the outside will sear and cook quickly while leaving as much of the center as possible in its raw state.2010, Jeff Potter, Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food, page 180

verbTo wither; to dry up.

The spring and summer of 1936 brought to the Great Plains one of those terrible periodic droughts that sear the crops and convert the “short-grass country” into a desert.1971, Chapters From the American Experience, page 277
The early morning sun had begun to sear the grass.2014, Bernard N. Lee, Jr.; Michele Barand, A Look Back in Time, page 50
She might just as easily have been a goddess of the harvest, since the ancient Greeks sowed in the fall and reaped in the spring before the dry heat of summer could sear the crops in the fields.2018, Michael Furie, Peg Aloi, JD Hortwort, Llewellyn's 2019 Sabbats Almanac

verbTo mark permanently, as if by burning.

The events of that day were seared into her memory.

More sentences with sear

The chef first put the steak under the salamander to sear the outside.From the entry salamander
I’m getting more of a seared bite on the Impossible Whopper than I’m getting on the actual Whopper.From the entry seared
Despite so much blue blood, the bar sinister seared James Smithson all his life.1936 October 26, “Science: Smithsonian's Year”, in Time, retrieved 27 Mar 2014. From the entry bar sinister
Goulash, a local favorite, was brought up-to-date with seared grass-fed rib-eye, stewed cippolini onions and roasted cherry tomatoes.2015 September 4, “In Minnesota’s Iron Range, Midwestern With a Modern Twist”, in The New York Times. From the entry onion
It shrieked and writhed as the heat seared its flesh, dropping its spear to bat at the smoldering wounds.2013 April, Chris A. Jackson, “A Surprise Engagement”, in Pirate’s Honor (Pathfinder Tales), Paizo, →ISBN, pages 113–114. From the entry cecaelia
Season the foie and sear until dark golden brown.2006, Chuck Johnson, Blanche Johnson, Savor Idaho Cookbook. From the entry foie
Even though it is often referred to as the Chinese meat pie, xianbing is, in fact, more similar to an over-sized, seared jiaozi-style dumpling.2023, “Xianbing”, in TasteAtlas, archived from the original on 28 May 2023. From the entry xianbing
Tiepolo ordered two vast toasted cheeses and a jug of wine, and we alternately seared and cooled our lips until we were satisfied and tipsy.2002, Rhys Hughes, Nowhere Near Milkwood, page 49. From the entry toasted cheese
She had learned her lessons well, remembering the queen’s commands as if they had been seared into her mind with the fiery force of dragonbreath.1996, Douglas Niles, The Dragons, TSR, Inc., →ISBN, page 39. From the entry dragonbreath
Searers insist that a roast develops a rich crust when seared (it does) and that this crust seals in meat juices (it doesn't).1982, Ladies' Home Journal, volume 99, page 98. From the entry searer
If I am named to thee, thou needst not blush, for now I have seared away that eve above the river, that morn at Penshurst.1904, Mary Johnston, Sir Mortimer. From the entry needst
A solitary figure halted upon a craggy crest, a knapsacked figure, a dark lean man still young, but with a face worn by suffering, seared with pain.1932, H. G. Wells, The Bulpington of Blup. From the entry knapsacked
And in broiling them the heat must be so intense that the meat surface is quickly seared, the pores sealed and every particle of flavor and rich juices imprisoned.1922, “The Bride’s Cookery Primer”, in Good Housekeeping, volume 74, page 66. From the entry broiling
These reports show no difference, or, at all events, no significant difference, between the lambs that were seared and those which were knifed, at any of the weighings.1911, Bulletin of the Bureau of Agricultural Intelligence and of Plant-Diseases, volume 2, numbers 5-12, The Institute, page 2201. From the entry knifed
Pearl Harbor had seared itself into the American consciousness, but even at the times of greatest tension American Presidents never believed that they were about to be Pearl Harbored again.2013, Heiner Timmermann, The Future a Memory: The Cold War and Intelligence, page 127. From the entry Pearl Harbor
A sashimi of beef—thin peppered strips seared to a point just past rawness—was served with a frothy dressing of egg whites whipped with mustard and herbs, including tarragon and chives.1983 November, Caroline Bates, “Spécialités de la Maison—California: Bernard’s, The Grand House, La Petite Chaya”, in Jane Montant…. From the entry sashimi

Meaning of sear

adjective Dry; withered, especially of vegetation.
verb To char, scorch, or burn the surface of (something) with a hot instrument.
verb To wither; to dry up.

Full definition of sear

Questions about sear in a sentence

How do you use sear in a sentence?: Sear is used as an adjective, verb and noun. For example: “He likes to sear his steaks while maintaining rareness at the center.”
What is a short sentence with sear?: “I will sear the skin from your flesh.”
What does sear mean?: Sear means dry; withered, especially of vegetation.

Adapted from Wiktionary: sear (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use sear in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/sear. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.