spearhead

noun

spear·head | \ˈspir-ˌhed

Definition of spearhead

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the sharp-pointed head of a spear

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

spearhead

verb

spearheaded; spearheading; spearheads

Definition of spearhead (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to serve as leader or leading element of

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about spearhead

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Synonyms for spearhead

Synonyms: Verb

boss, captain, command, head, lead

Examples of spearhead in a Sentence

Noun

Her book was the spearhead of the clean water movement.

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The 27-year-old was the spearhead to Leicester's title winning season in 2016, alongside England forward Jamie Vardy. — SI.com, "Man City Target Spotted in Manchester & Undergoes Medical Ahead of Big-Money Transfer," 10 July 2018 In response to the Crimea annexation, NATO created a 5,000-troop spearhead force that can deploy to trouble spots within days. — Daniel Michaels, WSJ, "NATO, Under Fire From Trump, to Trumpet Its Heightened Readiness," 6 July 2018 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Ghosn spearheaded Nissan’s lead in the industry in electric cars, with the Nissan Leaf the best-selling electric car. — Yuri Kageyama, The Seattle Times, "As Ghosn heads for Nissan exit, Renault merger hopes fade," 21 Nov. 2018 Brinton spearheaded the campaign '50 Bills 50 States,' which works with thousands of local grassroots activists to introduce legislation to ban conversion therapy across the country. — Megan Lasher, Seventeen, "What Is Conversion Therapy?," 20 Nov. 2018 Sarofim, chair of the museum’s board, and Lee, a curator and Menil trustee, have spearheaded the project. — Natasha Wolff, Town & Country, "The Menil Drawing Institute Might Be America's Most Exciting New Museum," 2 Nov. 2018 Her organization has spearheaded the return more than 200 women to Myanmar since 2011. — Todd Pitman, Fox News, "6 Years Gone: Myanmar woman escapes brutal China captivity," 6 Sep. 2018 What's more, development is being spearheaded by Petroglyph Games, a studio formed from the ashes of original C&C development studio Westwood. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Original Command & Conquer devs will remaster series’ first games in one package," 14 Nov. 2018 That was really spearheaded, of course, by the great Azzedine Alaïa. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "What Does Isaac Mizrahi, Who Showed Bike Shorts Back in 1988, Think of Them Now? Read On . . .," 12 Nov. 2018 The ironies are mind-boggling, not least the fact that the study, which Kellman likens to a Nazi experiment, was spearheaded by the late child psychiatrist Peter Neubauer, himself an Austrian Jew who had fled the Holocaust. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "'Three Identical Strangers' is a riveting account of identical triplets separated at birth," 28 June 2018 The push to limit Mr. Trump’s authority to impose tariffs is being spearheaded by Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee, and Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania. — New York Times, "As Ties With Allies Fray Over Trade, Congressional Republicans Back Trump," 11 June 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.