spear 1 of 2

verb

Definition of spearnext
as in to stab
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object she speared a pea with her fork and angrily flung it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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spear

2 of 2

noun

ˈspir How to pronounce spear (audio)
as in javelin
a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade the Roman gladiator thrust his spear triumphantly into the lion's side

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 spear
Verb
His ideas are later used to discourage violently spearing food with a knife, and instead promote the pacifist chopstick. — New York Times, 17 July 2026 Blackberries make beautiful garnishes, especially when speared with a rosemary sprig. — Anna Kovel, Martha Stewart, 10 July 2026
Noun
The Oakland Police Department on Thursday released a compilation video of officer body camera footage of the fatal shooting last month of a man wielding two homemade spear-like devices at officers. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 Advertisement When Little Death’s spear breaks the water, Kris, a director suddenly inside the picture, asks what should happen next. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spear
  1. stab
  2. javelin
  3. pierce
  4. lance
  5. puncture
  6. jab
  7. pick
  8. stick
Verb
  • She had been beaten and stabbed inside her home, and her body was then placed in the trunk of her car.
    — Brett Barrouquere, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The 33-year-old man accused of killing his mother in their family’s apartment had stabbed his parent repeatedly in the face and chest, Bronx prosecutors said Friday.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of stab
Noun
  • The feeling came again when Wright, who played hockey, netball, tennis and javelin at county level in her teens, turned her hand to rugby.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • One of the most memorable is witnessing the Maasai Games, where warriors compete in events such as sprinting, javelin throwing, high jump, and rungu throwing.
    — Nicola Shepherd, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of javelin
Verb
  • Still, traces of background radioactivity sometimes break the subterranean silence, with that activity piercing through LZ’s mile of protective bedrock or even seeping out of the materials lining the detector’s walls.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The bullet pierced the restaurant glass and left a diner with a minor injury.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of pierce
Noun
  • Additionally, objects of cultural patrimony such as five pairs of moccasins, one coupstick, one Cheyenne cradle board and one lance were returned in the ceremony.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 20 Aug. 2026
  • As for the Speed, the museum returned three ceremonial objects (a rattle, a beaded pipe bag, and a beaded turtle amulet) and 21 other items, among them beaded pouches and bags, moccasins, a coup stick, a cradleboard, and a lance.
    — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of lance
Verb
  • The crash broke more than a dozen ribs, punctured her lungs and left her with spinal cord injuries that left her in a wheelchair.
    — Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This can puncture the batteries that cause them to short-circuit, overheat and potentially ignite surrounding materials.
    — Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of puncture
Verb
  • To explain this thinking, Lee jabs the New York Mets amid their disappointing MLB season.
    — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In historical terms, this drought is far from their longest, but no team has won the Premier League more times than them (13), and limbo jabs at a leviathan.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of jab
Verb
  • Allergists recommend bypassing diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and instead, picking your favorite nonsedating antihistamine pill, like fexofenadine (Allegra), loratadine (Claritin) or cetirizine (Zyrtec), according to the World Allergy Organization.
    — Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • For some Donalds supporters, like 56-year-old Cushing from Aventura, the choice to pick a Cuban American as lieutenant governor did signal a bigger change in the Republican Party and was worth highlighting.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of pick
Verb
  • After being stuck open in the rain, fans cheered when the roof closed.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Those drivers’ days (and lives) were rattled far more than those stuck in the backup behind them.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of stick

Browse Nearby Words

speak up
spear
spear-carrier
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spear. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on spear

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spear

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