pikestaffs

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

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pikestaffs
Noun
  • The unrest began in mid-March but has intensified, leaving at least three dead as vigilantes armed with spears, clubs, and whips assaulted migrants and destroyed their homes.
    Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 28 June 2026
  • Mexico were being booed, booed furiously, but even that low rumble failed to drown out the whistles, hurled from the stands of the Estadio Akron with the ferocity and barb of spears.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 19 June 2026
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
Noun
  • Bottom cleaners use lances to scrape biofoul off hulls.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
  • Um dos lances mais bonitos da nossa história.
    Stuart James, New York Times, 16 June 2026
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

Cite this Entry

“Pikestaffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pikestaffs. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster