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harpoons 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of harpoon
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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harpoons

2 of 2

noun

plural of harpoon
as in spears

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpoons
  1. stabs
  2. spears
  3. punctures
  4. lances
  5. jabs
  6. tridents
  7. pierces
  8. javelins
Verb
  • But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • When Little Death stabs into their victim, there’s a geyser of blood, way more than could fit inside a human body.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabs
Noun
  • Roasting keeps the spears tender while adding light browning and a slightly crisp exterior for better texture and flavor.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Marin’s diagonal shot dips at the last second and spears into the top corner of the net.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of spears
Verb
  • That’s because when a snake bites and punctures the skin and transfers venom into the victim’s body, the venom attacks the skin, soft tissue and connective tissue beneath it.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • If a foreign object punctures the tread or sidewall, your tire can deflate slowly or quickly, depending on the puncture.
    — Jason Fogelson, AJC.com, 29 May 2026
Definition of punctures
Noun
  • Snow cannons and lances are the visible part of the snowmaking network.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Bottom cleaners use lances to scrape biofoul off hulls.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
Definition of lances
Verb
  • Rather than immediately running toward his destination on the opposite side of the field, Jefferson jabs at the defender to create even more separation.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Vance, El-Sayed exchange jabs over spouse comments The dispute also took a personal turn as the vice president condemned El-Sayed for comments about second lady Usha Vance.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of jabs
Noun
  • Grasping hands reach out in despair, deities wield tridents and divine lotus flowers symbolize the 16 levels of Brahma (higher realms).
    — Vicky Smith, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • 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
Definition of tridents
Verb
  • Christmas tree pins have a tiered configuration that compresses rather than pierces the ground (a win for modern synthetic or Mondo tracks).
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • An ice sculpture of a heart includes a tube through the ice arrow that pierces the heart.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026
Definition of pierces
Noun
  • Humans have been throwing javelins for a few hundred thousand years, yet performance has largely plateaued.
    — R. Alexander Bentley, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
  • The Tofinu took refuge in the lagoons along the Bight of Benin, a core area of the slave trade, venturing forth in canoes with harpoons, javelins, and swords to fight off raiders from powerful nearby kingdoms.
    — Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Definition of javelins
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

harpooning
harpoons
harps (on)
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Cite this Entry

“Harpoons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpoons. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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