Thesaurus results for SPEARS

spears 1 of 2

noun

plural of spear

as in javelins

a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade the Roman gladiator thrust his spear triumphantly into the lion's side

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spears

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of spear

as in stabs

to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object she speared a pea with her fork and angrily flung it

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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 spears

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 Instead, use the heat to cook up sides like broccolini spears or baby potatoes that taste even better next to this steak. — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 15 June 2026 Young boys, some no older than five or six, showed off their marksmanship by throwing reeds like spears with perfect accuracy, and the men demonstrated their precision with bow and arrow. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that takes a few years to produce edible spears. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 May 2026 According to writings from the time, in one game, women dressed as the goddess Diana and used spears to fight vicious boars across the arena floor. — Taylor Mitchell Brown, Scientific American, 19 May 2026 The finish came when Rollins nearly secured a victory but met his end after a pair of rib-splitting spears. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026 The farmers—many barefoot, carrying a melange of machetes, spears, and old guns—lay in wait. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 May 2026

Verb

The midfielder spears an accurate long ball to Yildiz, setting him away into the box. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 5 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for 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

Verb

Kara talks her out of it, and when Ruthye walks away, Kara turns back to Krem and stabs him multiple times with a sword.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 June 2026
On cue, a Frey leaps out and stabs Robb’s pregnant wife Talisa (Oona Chaplin) in the stomach, and a volley of crossbow arrows lay into Robb and his friends.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026

Definition of stabs

Verb

Nobody picks a bank because of who owns the servers, so why sink capital into owning them?

— Mushfig Aliyev, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Subscribe here to our newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026

Definition of picks

Verb

Commentary and opinions In his latest column, Michael Hiltzik punctures the myth of Alan Greenspan, whose policies gave us the Great Recession.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
If a foreign object punctures the tread or sidewall, your tire can deflate slowly or quickly, depending on the puncture.

— Jason Fogelson, AJC.com, 29 May 2026

Definition of punctures

Verb

The standout episode—the conversion history of Kendra, a Black striver married to the Schwoopers’ daughter, Shira—sticks its landing, enabling the viewer to see faith as a refuge, not a cage.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
Otherwise, Kail sticks closely to the template established for him, recreating every scene and sequence from the first movie with ruthless fidelity and adding essentially no departures of any significance.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 8 July 2026

Definition of sticks

Verb

Continue reading … OUT OF LEFT FIELD — Tom Hanks jokingly jabs MS NOW while speaking with reporter live on the network.

— , FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
But following elite competition is nearly impossible, with subtle flicks and jabs practically invisible to the naked eye—and competitors hidden behind masks.

— Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 25 Apr. 2026

Definition of jabs

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spearmen

spears

special

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“Spears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spears. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of spears

noun

verb

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