clamp vs shearing

clamp

noun
  • A mass of bricks heaped up to be burned; or of ore for roasting, or of coal coking. 

  • An electronic circuit that fixes either the positive or the negative peak excursions of a signal to a defined value by shifting its DC value. 

  • A parking enforcement device used to immobilise a car until it can be towed or a fine is paid; a wheel clamp. 

  • An instrument used to temporarily shut off blood vessels, etc. 

  • A pile of agricultural produce such as root vegetables or silage stored under a layer of earth or an airtight sheet. 

  • A piece of wood (batten) across the grain of a board end to keep it flat, as in a breadboard. 

  • A brace, band, or clasp for strengthening or holding things together. 

verb
  • To fasten in place or together with (or as if with) a clamp. 

  • To hold or grip tightly. 

  • To immobilise (a vehicle) by means of a wheel clamp. 

  • To modify (a numeric value) so it lies within a specific range by replacing values outside the range with the closest value within the range. 

shearing

noun
  • The process of making a vertical side cutting in working into a face of coal. 

  • Deformation by forces acting in opposite directions. 

  • The act or operation of reaping. 

  • The act or operation of clipping with shears or a shearing machine, as the wool from sheep, or the nap from cloth. 

  • The material cut off in this way. 

  • The process of preparing shear steel; tilting. 

  • The act or operation of dividing with shears. 

adj
  • Tending to cut or tear. 

How often have the words clamp and shearing occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )