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
-
Asparagus boasts 89 micrograms (mcg) of folate per four spears.—
Molly Burford,
Verywell Health,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Or some good ol’ corn on the cob, or long broccolini spears.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Alex breaks free and, in a panic, repeatedly stabs Evelyn with the syringe.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
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Spike takes one of Kelson's tranquilizer darts filled with morphine and stabs Samson in the arm with it.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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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Her infectious laugh regularly pierces the newsroom noise.—
Brad Schmitt,
Nashville Tennessean,
20 Oct. 2025
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But the show's greatest asset is its stars, whose endearing real-life friendship pierces through the play’s inherent despair.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 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
Verb
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So until the party picks its next presidential nominee—still at least 18 months away—there is no real leader of the Democratic Party.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
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For the first time in its history, this year’s batch of Gotham nominees includes 10 Best Feature picks.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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With off-putting brusqueness, the acupuncturist sticks needles into my head and left leg, leaves the room—and appears to forget all about me.—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
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Robbie and Jayson have a furious battle, but Jayson sticks the fatal knife stab before fleeing.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lances. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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