spear 1 of 2

spear

2 of 2

noun

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
As Ciampa dangled, Dawkins leaped from the ladder and speared Ciampa down through a table that was set up beneath him. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2025 Maybe the Dolphins beat the Bills if Jordan Poyer doesn’t get flagged for spearing a Buffalo receiver, setting up the game-winning 61-yard field goal. Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
Noun
Pricing transparency, proactive maintenance, and real-time updates are merely the tip of the spear. Ilona Limonta-Volkova, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025 Originally conceived as a way to demonstrate the program’s efficacy by putting its strongest athletes to the test, the Games represent the tip of the CrossFit spear. Calum Marsh, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for spear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spear
Verb
  • In 2010, a kayaker in the Florida Keys had her lung punctured when a fish leapt out of the water and stabbed her in the back.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 30 June 2025
  • One such fatwa was the one issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the previous supreme leader, against author Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed multiple times at the Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York in 2022.
    Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • With her final attempt in the women’s javelin finals Thursday, Barrios Bornacelli fired off a throw of 203 feet, 5 inches, winning the event — and the national championship.
    Jacob Louraine, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2025
  • The men’s 800m, women’s javelin, women’s 100m hurdles, men’s 5000m and women’s 1500m are the other events to cap off the Paris athletics competition.
    Lukas Weese, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024
Verb
  • With piercing honesty and raw emotion, Jean Smart delivers a powerful monologue in Call Me Izzy, a new play written by Jamie Wax and directed by Sarna Lapine.
    H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
  • The hot nights pierced with cold decisions on young men’s futures.
    Devon Henderson, Oc Register, 6 July 2025
Noun
  • Flame-retardant foams do little, and fire departments now favor high-pressure water lances or immersion pits.
    Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 9 June 2025
  • With about a thousand Mexicans in front of him, Yell charged alone with his sword in hand, apparently killing several Mexicans until brought down by multiple lance wounds.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • Steering column was pushed into his chest, broke his ribs, rib punctured his heart.
    Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
  • Another teen girl was stabbed, her lung punctured, during the melee.
    Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • Nearly 150 people were jabbed with syringes during a street music festival in France, the country’s interior ministry said, adding that authorities had arrested at least 12 suspects.
    Astha Rajvanshi, NBC news, 24 June 2025
  • The sequence was designed to mimic a human yawn, but one could be forgiven for thinking the fleshy android had just been unpleasantly jabbed with something sharp.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • This year, the program is running twice as long and with four times the number of attractions to pick from.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 8 July 2025
  • Readers clearly have no problem picking favorites, with the top properties located mostly in major travel destinations like Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Agra.
    Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Thompson will need to prove the most in this area to stick, as well.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 11 July 2025
  • The new websites offer a variety of information that appears to stick closely to generally accepted definitions and science around geoengineering and the government’s ongoing research on contrails.
    Pilar Melendez, NBC news, 10 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Spear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spear. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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