as in stabs
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
she deftly harpooned a shrimp with her skewer and held it over the fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpoons
Verb
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The suspect pounces on Ennin while the victim is down and stabs him multiple times before running off.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026 -
After Fiona confesses to killing Willem, a raging Constance stabs Dahlia.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Dec. 2025
Noun
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To say that ranch is popular is an understatement because Americans love the tangy taste on everything from chips to pickle spears to shrimp.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Jan. 2026
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Yiyoguaje sported a spectacular headdress of layered feathers that cascaded down his back, blue and pink, green and yellow, topped by three long macaw feathers standing up like spears.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But Anderson punctures his weed haze with the bright light of a past that in actuality never dimmed, when Lockjaw begins to hunt Pat and Willa.—
Angelica Jade Bastién,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
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Recounting his visit with Shelton’s body after she’d been taken off of life support in From Bleak to Dark, Maron punctures the somber scene with a joke about taking a selfie.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Aug. 2025
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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Haggard jabs Baird over mailers The race is already tense.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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At a handful of locations, these spikes extended out to nearly a meter, looking more like lances than anything needed to ward off a close-in attack.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Nothing that pierces the skin should ever be used as leverage over a child's opportunity to education and to learn.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Dec. 2025
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Nicole Kidman's stare pierces the room.—
Jennifer Brett,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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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Research in habit formation consistently shows that behavior sticks when it is tied to context cues, environment and routine rather than motivation alone.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
1 Jan. 2026
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Let’s hope the finale sticks the landing.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
30 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Harpoons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpoons. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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