speared; spearing; spears
1
: to pierce, strike, or take with or as if with a spear
spear salmon
speared a chop from the platter
2
: to catch (something, such as a baseball) with a sudden thrust of the arm
3
a
ice hockey
: to jab (an opposing player) with the blade of one's stick
All game, the Caps held, hooked, slashed, speared, chopped, and bopped … the Rangers' European players.—
Stu Hackel
Stu Hackel
b
American football
: to ram (an opposing player) with one's helmet
… defensive end Ben Davidson set off a sidelines-clearing scrum when he speared Dawson from behind after he was down.—Jim Trotter
Jim Trotter
: to thrust at or wound something with or as if with a spear
spearer
noun
: paternal sense 3
the spear side of the family
compare distaff
speared; spearing; spears
: a usually young blade, shoot, or sprout (as of grass)
Synonyms
Examples of spear in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebLawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024
Surely not spear one ravioli, nibble off half from the fork and then, after swallowing, take the final bite.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024
Reid employs her signature sharp eye and sardonic wit to spear academia in Come and Get It, a biting comedy of manners.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2023
Read More: The Surprising History of the Bidet Started with the Wealthy and Brothels
As Assyrian nobles were spearing lions from their chariots for the sheer thrill of it, for example, ordinary people were left to develop their own workaday diversions.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
Gallagher said a listing would not only threaten the careful population management program in place but would ignore the cultural importance and economic impact of lake sturgeon and sturgeon spearing to northeastern Wisconsin.
—Journal Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2024
Beginning in 1948, a limited sport fishery for lake sturgeon was allowed on inland lakes open to spearing, which included Black Lake.
—Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 2 Feb. 2024
The double-decker club, quartered and speared, is served on Japanese milk bread with chicken katsu tucked inside, fervent and juicy in its panko crust.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2023
Use them to spear drink garnishes or add them to your cheese plate for easy pick up and serious sparkle.
—Belle Bakst, Bon Appétit, 6 Dec. 2023
Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Top with slender asparagus spears, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with hot sauce.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024
Wash Asparagus Rinse all spears in a colander under cool water.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2024
Some of the huge spears of ice hanging from red and brown rock walls to the left and right were netted off, as if to discourage or prevent ice climbing.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2024
The researchers uncovered a stack of spears with shafts over 10 feet (3 meters) long at the site, and many experts think that warfare was common in the time period.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Tribal members in Wisconsin spear fish through ice not just to feed, but to teach community
Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024
According to a Microsoft report, Emerald Sleet used LLMs to research think tanks and experts on North Korea, and to make content for spear phishing campaigns.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
Instead, try lining up all of the spears on a cutting board and slicing off the ends all at once, cutting where the stalks turn from white into green.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
After a too-brief stay at Vermelho, my luggage-friendly Rover SV is spearing past the vineyards of the scrappy Alentejo wine region, and blurring the bark-regenerating cork oaks that provide stoppers for the world’s wine industry.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024
Surely not spear one ravioli, nibble off half from the fork and then, after swallowing, take the final bite.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024
Reid employs her signature sharp eye and sardonic wit to spear academia in Come and Get It, a biting comedy of manners.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2023
Read More: The Surprising History of the Bidet Started with the Wealthy and Brothels
As Assyrian nobles were spearing lions from their chariots for the sheer thrill of it, for example, ordinary people were left to develop their own workaday diversions.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
Gallagher said a listing would not only threaten the careful population management program in place but would ignore the cultural importance and economic impact of lake sturgeon and sturgeon spearing to northeastern Wisconsin.
—Journal Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2024
Beginning in 1948, a limited sport fishery for lake sturgeon was allowed on inland lakes open to spearing, which included Black Lake.
—Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 2 Feb. 2024
The double-decker club, quartered and speared, is served on Japanese milk bread with chicken katsu tucked inside, fervent and juicy in its panko crust.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 29 Nov. 2023
Use them to spear drink garnishes or add them to your cheese plate for easy pick up and serious sparkle.
—Belle Bakst, Bon Appétit, 6 Dec. 2023
Noun
That scene, a single, three-minute take, is framed like a sacred medieval tapestry, with Oh’s assailants wielding sticks and pipes the way knights might hold spears.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Top with slender asparagus spears, sprinkle with parsley, and serve with hot sauce.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024
Wash Asparagus Rinse all spears in a colander under cool water.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2024
Some of the huge spears of ice hanging from red and brown rock walls to the left and right were netted off, as if to discourage or prevent ice climbing.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2024
The researchers uncovered a stack of spears with shafts over 10 feet (3 meters) long at the site, and many experts think that warfare was common in the time period.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Tribal members in Wisconsin spear fish through ice not just to feed, but to teach community
Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024
According to a Microsoft report, Emerald Sleet used LLMs to research think tanks and experts on North Korea, and to make content for spear phishing campaigns.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
Instead, try lining up all of the spears on a cutting board and slicing off the ends all at once, cutting where the stalks turn from white into green.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spear.' 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 spear
Cite this Entry
“Spear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spear. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spear
2 of 3 verb
: to pierce or strike with or as if with a spear
spearer
noun
spear
3 of 3 noun
: a usually young blade, shoot, or sprout (as of grass)
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