spearhead

noun spear·head \ ˈspir-ˌhed \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: spearhead in a Sentence

Definition of spearhead

1 : the sharp-pointed head of a spear

2 : a leading element, force, or influence in an undertaking or development

See spearhead defined for English-language learners

See spearhead defined for kids

Examples of spearhead in a Sentence

Her book was the spearhead of the clean water movement.

Recent Examples of spearhead from the Web

Pompeo, who is helping spearhead conversations ahead of a possible summit with North Korea next month, met with Kim for dinner Wednesday night.

— kathryn watson, CBS News, "Pompeo speaks to press after meeting with North Korea official — live updates," 31 May 2018
Weapons like spearheads, swords, shield fragments, iron knives and an axe were also uncovered.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Ancient human bones are proof of 'barbarian' war rituals 2,000 years ago in Europe," 21 May 2018
So the motorcycles range out in front of the armored spearheads, in front of the airpower looking for weaknesses in the enemy lines.

— Fox News, "What threats face America's electrical grid?," 23 Apr. 2018
The spearheads themselves appear to have been made both with local materials, such as flint, and resources imported from hundreds of miles away.

— aristos georgiou, Newsweek, "Hundreds of 12,000-year-old Spearheads and Arrowheads Found in Peru by Archaeologists," 14 Mar. 2018
The ancient spearheads will now be analyzed to determine the techniques used to manufacture them before going on display at the Regional Museum of Ica.

— aristos georgiou, Newsweek, "Hundreds of 12,000-year-old Spearheads and Arrowheads Found in Peru by Archaeologists," 14 Mar. 2018
Archaeologists have discovered more than 150 ancient spearheads in the south of Peru, dating between 9,000 and 12,000 years old.

— aristos georgiou, Newsweek, "Hundreds of 12,000-year-old Spearheads and Arrowheads Found in Peru by Archaeologists," 14 Mar. 2018
They have been criticized as singing, dancing spearheads of a strategic North Korean propaganda campaign at the Games.

— andrew keh, New York Times, "A Night Out With North Korea’s Cheerleaders: Matching Snowsuits, Military Discipline and Chaperoned Bathroom Trips," 12 Feb. 2018
The Czech national team were actually ranked SECOND in the world going into the 2006 World Cup, and Koller was the spearhead.

— SI.com, "8 Large Men Chelsea Could Sign at Centre Forward After Andy Carroll & Peter Crouch Speculation," 19 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spearhead.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of spearhead

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

automatic, carbine, cudgel, muzzle, rapier

spearhead

verb

Definition of spearhead

spearheaded; spearheading; spearheads

transitive verb

: to serve as leader or leading element of

See spearhead defined for English-language learners

Examples of spearhead in a Sentence

She spearheaded the campaign for better schools.
The movement was spearheaded by the teachers' union.

Recent Examples of spearhead from the Web

Messrs Suárez and Cavani are Uruguay’s spearheads at the World Cup, which kicks off in Russia on June 14th.

— The Economist, "What makes a country good at football?," 9 June 2018
The back-end headaches—according to several sources, Knopf spearheaded the publicity while Little, Brown oversaw marketing, sales, and shipping—hardly mattered when selling out a 1.2 million-copy opening print run seemed a sure thing.

— sarah weinman, Bloomberg.com, "Bill Clinton Is Bungling His Publicity Tour. But … How’s the Book?," 5 June 2018
Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning mastermind behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, is spearheading the upcoming adaptation (in theaters Dec. 14) of Philip Reeve’s 2001 young-adult dystopian novel.

— brian truitt, USA TODAY, "First photos: It's city-eat-city in Peter Jackson's YA adaptation of 'Mortal Engines'," 3 June 2018
Owen is the Mecklenburg Medical cardiologist spearheading the effort to split away from Atrium.

— deon roberts, charlotteobserver, "Mecklenburg Medical doctors leaving Atrium share details about their new group," 1 June 2018
The demonstration was organized by Maxwell Lubin, a UC Berkeley graduate student and CEO of the advocacy group Rise California, who has already spearheaded successful lobbying campaigns this year to avert tuition hikes at UC and CSU.

— alexei koseff, sacbee, "Burrito bowls for Jerry Brown: 'It's insulting' to compare UC to Chipotle, advocates say," 31 May 2018
In 2017, Howard, with the help of LSU AgCenter horticulturist Joe Willis, spearheaded the movement to bring in more native plants that were once popular in old New Orleans.

— kendra parks, NOLA.com, "Master gardeners celebrate the tricentennial and bring native plants back to New Orleans," 24 May 2018
Several weapons such as spearheads, swords, shields and an ax were also found at the excavation site.

— jennifer earl, Fox News, "Thousands of human bones discovered in Denmark reveal gruesome 'barbarian' war rituals," 22 May 2018
Jack Kennedy has been spearheading the effort from an unusual position as Wise County's circuit court clerk.

— jacob demmitt, The Christian Science Monitor, "Virginia students plan for mission to space," 14 May 2018

First Known Use of spearhead

1937

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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spearhead Synonyms

SPEARHEAD Defined for English Language Learners

spearhead

noun

Definition of spearhead for English Language Learners

: a person, thing, or group that organizes or leads something (such as a movement or attack)

spearhead

verb

Definition of spearhead for English Language Learners

: to be the leader of (something, such as a political movement)

SPEARHEAD Defined for Kids

spearhead

noun spear·head \ ˈspir-ˌhed \

Definition of spearhead for Students

1 : the head or point of a spear

2 : the person, thing, or group that is the leading force (as in a development or an attack)

spearhead

verb

Definition of spearhead for Students

spearheaded; spearheading

: to serve as leader of

She spearheaded a campaign for change.

Learn More about spearhead

See words that rhyme with spearhead Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for spearhead Spanish Central: Translation of spearhead Nglish: Translation of spearhead for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spearhead for Arabic speakers

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spearhead

Definition of spearhead

Examples of spearhead in a Sentence

Recent Examples of spearhead from the Web

First Known Use of spearhead

Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

spearhead

Definition of spearhead

Examples of spearhead in a Sentence

Recent Examples of spearhead from the Web

First Known Use of spearhead

spearhead Synonyms

Synonyms

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SPEARHEAD Defined for English Language Learners

spearhead

Definition of spearhead for English Language Learners

spearhead

Definition of spearhead for English Language Learners

SPEARHEAD Defined for Kids

spearhead

Definition of spearhead for Students

spearhead

Definition of spearhead for Students

Learn More about spearhead

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