pikestaffs

Definition of pikestaffsnext
plural of pikestaff
as in spears
a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade pikestaffs were in use from the Middle Ages to the 18th century

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pikestaffs
Noun
  • The reason for the closure is that ice chunks, sheets and spears that are falling off the bridge have damaged vehicles in the past.
    Paula Wethington, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Peering through the grating of a six-foot fence, Marjoleine and I could see the first brave apple blossoms, red spears of rhubarb, and compost piles, some neat, most unruly.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • The flowers and ferns of the Mani hills—purple spears, white arrows, feathery javelins—slowly flatten into the horizon.
    Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2024
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
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Pikestaffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pikestaffs. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.

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