as in led
to serve as leader of
unofficially at least, Martin Luther King spearheaded the civil rights movement
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Recent Examples of spearheaded
The mission, called Escapade — short for Escape and Plasma Acceleration Dynamics Explorers — is a low-cost planetary science project funded by NASA and spearheaded by the University of California, Berkeley, with support from commercial companies Advanced Space and Rocket Lab.
—
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Cal and Hannah McNair spearheaded the acquisition, furthering the family’s place in Houston’s sports landscape.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Earlier this year, Ballerini spearheaded her 2025 Live On Tour trek, which ran from January through March.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
The project is being spearheaded by Dan McDermott, President of Entertainment at AMC Networks, and Ben Haigh, co-head of domestic programming.
—Peter White, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Lulu also has spearheaded the push for legislation to establish a system to issue a public notice to cellphones when there’s been a nearby shark attack.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2025
The program eventually expanded to include kindergarten through fifth-graders, and in the mid-’90s Fernald was part of a group that spearheaded Art in the Dark, using slide projectors to give presentations to middle-school classes.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
The measure was spearheaded by Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, who threw the weight of his political operation behind it in a major test of his mettle ahead of a potential 2028 presidential campaign.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
American Friends of Jamaica Donations will be matched dollar-to-dollar as part of a $1 million fund to support critical Hurricane Melissa relief and recovery efforts spearheaded by this long-standing nonprofit that’s been supporting Jamaican charitable organizations since 1982.
—Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Cal and Hannah McNair spearheaded the acquisition, furthering the family’s place in Houston’s sports landscape.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Earlier this year, Ballerini spearheaded her 2025 Live On Tour trek, which ran from January through March.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
The project is being spearheaded by Dan McDermott, President of Entertainment at AMC Networks, and Ben Haigh, co-head of domestic programming.
—Peter White, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Lulu also has spearheaded the push for legislation to establish a system to issue a public notice to cellphones when there’s been a nearby shark attack.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2025
The program eventually expanded to include kindergarten through fifth-graders, and in the mid-’90s Fernald was part of a group that spearheaded Art in the Dark, using slide projectors to give presentations to middle-school classes.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025
The measure was spearheaded by Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, who threw the weight of his political operation behind it in a major test of his mettle ahead of a potential 2028 presidential campaign.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
American Friends of Jamaica Donations will be matched dollar-to-dollar as part of a $1 million fund to support critical Hurricane Melissa relief and recovery efforts spearheaded by this long-standing nonprofit that’s been supporting Jamaican charitable organizations since 1982.
—Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spearheaded
Verb
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Leo Varadkar led Ireland and Humza Yousaf headed Scotland’s government.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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Pelosi retires and Dems begin generational civil war Nancy Pelosi, 85, announced her retirement yesterday as a new generation of much younger Democrats bridles against the elderly cadre under former President Biden, 82, who led them to defeat in the last presidential election.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The central square is commanded by the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, and the streets hold other imperial Ottoman-era mosques, Byzantine cisterns, and the remains of a hippodrome.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
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Considered a delicacy in parts of Asia, mullet roe commanded a premium price.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spearheaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spearheaded. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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