1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

pikestaffs

noun

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
  1. spears
  2. javelins
  3. lances
Noun
  • Roasting keeps the spears tender while adding light browning and a slightly crisp exterior for better texture and flavor.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Marin’s diagonal shot dips at the last second and spears into the top corner of the net.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of spears
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
Definition of javelins
Noun
  • Snow cannons and lances are the visible part of the snowmaking network.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Bottom cleaners use lances to scrape biofoul off hulls.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
Definition of lances
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

pikestaff
pikestaffs
piking
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pikestaffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pikestaffs. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All