Thesaurus results for LANCES

lances 1 of 2

noun

plural of lance

as in spears

a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade the lance struck squarely on the knight's shield, knocking him from his horse

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lances

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lance

as in stabs

to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object doctors used to lance infected sores, so that they could drain clean

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of lances

Noun

Warhorses charge, lances down, crashing through the tilts as lances break on shields and men topple from their steeds. —

Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026 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

The farmers—many barefoot, carrying a melange of machetes, spears, and old guns—lay in wait.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026
Smashing the spears with a rolling pin and dressing them in lemon and olive oil magically tenderizes the otherwise tough veg.

— Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Apr. 2026