harpoon

noun

har·​poon här-ˈpün 

: a barbed spear or javelin used especially in hunting large fish or whales

harpoon transitive verb

harpooner noun

Examples of harpoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Later, the antler was likely repurposed as part of a harpoon, a pointed spear used to catch fish. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025

Someone is then shot with a harpoon, only to have their guts pulled like taffy from the wound. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025

With a microscope, these setae look like harpoons, and they’re filled with cocktails of venom proteins that are to scientists like Walker what light is to moths. —Ivan Amato, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025

After trying to convince the disgruntled clerk to take it off his hands, the monkey bangs its drum, causing a harpoon gun on display to impale the clerk and rip out his entrails. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from Dutch harpoen, from Middle Dutch, from Old French harpon brooch, from harper to grapple

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for harpoon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• immune
• impugn
• jejune

Kids Definition

harpoon

1 of 2 noun

har·​poon

här-ˈpün

: a barbed spear used especially in hunting large fish or whales

harpoon

2 of 2 verb

: to strike with a harpoon

harpooner noun

Medical Definition

harpoon

noun

har·​poon här-ˈpün 

: a medical instrument with a barbed head used for removing bits of living tissue for examination