as in to stab
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
she deftly harpooned a shrimp with her skewer and held it over the fire
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harpoon
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
While David padded toward the bow where two harpoons lay ready, Kim throttled down and the Theresa slowly, almost silently, moved in behind the cruising fin.
—Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025
When activated, the harpoon is ejected, penetrates under the skin, and venom is released.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 11 July 2025
Once the lander’s three legs absorb the landing shock, Philae will anchor itself in the comet’s surface by firing two harpoons while using a thruster to counteract the force of the harpoons.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Nov. 2014
See All Example Sentences for harpoon
Verb
Ali reportedly tried to use a handheld harpoon while trying to access the apartment through the house’s front door before trying to break a window and smash his way inside.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 4 Aug. 2025
While David padded toward the bow where two harpoons lay ready, Kim throttled down and the Theresa slowly, almost silently, moved in behind the cruising fin.
—Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025
When activated, the harpoon is ejected, penetrates under the skin, and venom is released.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 11 July 2025
Once the lander’s three legs absorb the landing shock, Philae will anchor itself in the comet’s surface by firing two harpoons while using a thruster to counteract the force of the harpoons.
—IEEE Spectrum, 10 Nov. 2014
See All Example Sentences for harpoon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpoon
Verb
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The admission came the day after two Jewish worshipers were killed and three others seriously injured in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.—
Peter Wilkinson,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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One of the victims had been stabbed several times in the head and was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Creativity was sorely lacking last season, with the side mustering the lowest xG of any side to avoid relegation, but now an attacking midfield trident of Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye brims with promise and guile.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Hoosiers can hunt frogs with bow and arrows, clubs, some firearms, or simply, their hands, but Plumier teaches those gathered at Goose Pond how to use gigs — long, multi-pronged spears that look a little bit like tridents.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In April, Kismet by Milka opened a London flagship at 110 New Bond Street, which spans 1,500 square feet across two floors with two piercing studios.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Footwear News,
2 Oct. 2025
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Touches five and six are merely the cajoling preamble to the pièce de résistance, aka touch seven, a piercing through ball which splits defender Goncalo Inacio and backtracking forward Geny Catamo like a warm bread knife through a ciabatta roll straight out of Mama’s oven.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Moving backward and forward through time, the hut seems like the spear, which seems like the stone, the diorama, and the photograph, like my laptop and your magazine.—
Harmon Siegel,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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And Paleo Dad grumbles but goes and picks up his spear.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And, in the process, the trio of ’70s babies punctured the myth that rap is a young man’s sport.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
2 Oct. 2025
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Tyrone Taylor’s three RBIs had punctured Spencer Schwellenbach, and Peterson took a 4-1 lead into the eighth having retired 11 of the last 12.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The retainer then struck her down with a halberd, set the mansion ablaze, and committed seppuku.—
Nicholas Liu,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2024
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Also, his halberd starts fritzing on the floor before fading out of existence, a reminder that this is all virtual reality—or rather, VR within VR, the metatextual framing of Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s Creed game.—
WIRED,
WIRED,
16 Nov. 2023
Verb
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Srinivas, who often jabs the search engine giant, made an interesting point.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Winkler took Waddell behind the door he was meant to burst out from and started to jab him.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Investors and economists are stuck looking to other sources of data for information about the economy.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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In the meantime, borrowers stuck in the backlog may not be making progress toward loan forgiveness, either under the terms of an IDR plan or through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpoon. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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