scissors

Scissors are a hand tool with two blades joined in the middle, made for cutting things cleanly and easily. You use them for paper, cloth, hair, string, and many small jobs at home, at school, or at work. When you open and close the handles, the blades slide past each other and cut the material between them. We usually talk about this word in the plural, even for one item, so people say, "Where are the scissors?" or "Please pass me the scissors."

Scissors are handheld cutting tools with two metal blades joined at a pivot in the center. When you squeeze and release the handles, the blades move past each other and cut what is placed between them. People use them for everyday tasks like cutting paper, opening packaging, trimming thread, shaping fabric, or cutting hair. Different kinds are made for different jobs, so kitchen scissors, school scissors, sewing scissors, and barber's scissors may all look a little different.

In English, "scissors" is normally used as a plural word, even when you mean one tool. That is why people usually say, "These scissors are sharp," not "This scissors is sharp." If you want to speak of one item more clearly, you can say "a pair of scissors." This is an important part of how the word is used in real life.

The word can also appear in a few wider uses. In "Rock, Paper, Scissors," it names one of the three hand signs in the game. In sports, a "scissor kick" describes a movement that looks like two blades opening and closing. Even with these extra uses, the main idea stays the same: something shaped like this tool or moving in the same cutting pattern.

So, when you think of scissors, picture a simple but useful tool that shows up almost everywhere, from classrooms and offices to kitchens, sewing rooms, and salons.