as in stabs
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
doctors used to lance infected sores, so that they could drain clean
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lances
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
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, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
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, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lances
Noun
-
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
-
Ice chunks, sheets and spears that fall hundreds of feet have damaged vehicles and have the potential to injure or kill motorists.—
Jalen Williams,
Freep.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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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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
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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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
-
Nicole Kidman's stare pierces the room.—
Jennifer Brett,
Nashville Tennessean,
16 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
The robot picks unsorted bearing rings and places them onto a buffer table.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
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Our top picks start at $16, with some even on sale, too.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
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
-
Let’s hope the finale sticks the landing.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lances. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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