spear

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈspir 

1

: a thrusting or throwing weapon with long shaft and sharp head or blade

2

: a sharp-pointed instrument with barbs used in spearing fish

3

: spearman

spear

2 of 5

verb (1)

speared; spearing; spears

transitive verb

1

: to pierce, strike, or take with or as if with a spear

spear salmon

speared a chop from the platter

2

: to catch (something, such as a baseball) with a sudden thrust of the arm

3

a

ice hockey : to jab (an opposing player) with the blade of one's stick

All game, the Caps held, hooked, slashed, speared, chopped, and bopped … the Rangers' European players.

—Stu Hackel

b

American football : to ram (an opposing player) with one's helmet

… defensive end Ben Davidson set off a sidelines-clearing scrum when he speared Dawson from behind after he was down.

—Jim Trotter

intransitive verb

: to thrust at or wound something with or as if with a spear

spearer noun

spear

3 of 5

adjective

: paternal sense 3

the spear side of the family

compare distaff

spear

4 of 5

verb (2)

speared; spearing; spears

intransitive verb

of a plant

: to thrust a spear upward

spear

5 of 5

noun (2)

: a usually young blade, shoot, or sprout (as of grass)

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• javelin
• lance
• pike
• pikestaff
• shaft

Verb (1)

• gore
• harpoon
• impale
• jab
• lance
• peck
• pick
• pierce
• pink
• puncture
• run through
• skewer
• spike
• spit
• stab
• stick
• transfix
• transpierce

Examples of spear in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the Roman gladiator thrust his spear triumphantly into the lion's side

Verb (1)

she speared a pea with her fork and angrily flung it

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

As people came close a branch would drop and spear the person in the stomach. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024

The Lac du Flambeau tribe gets its name from French explorers who observed tribal harvesters spearing at night with the use of torches. —Frank Vaisvilas, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024

Noun

The Greek warrior coin, which was offered for sale in 2020, features a figure holding a spear while draped in a black, blue and white American flag. —Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 27 Dec. 2024

Edward Norton supplies the film with a gentle Pete Seeger, someone used to leading audiences in peaceful, utopian song but increasingly mystified by this newcomer who sharpens the folk movement into a spear and then takes the battle in a completely different direction. —Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English spere, from Old English; akin to Old High German sper spear, Latin sparus hunting spear

Noun (2) and Verb (2)

alteration of spire entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1861, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1573, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1647, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing spear

• spear-carrier
• spear phishing
• spear-thrower

Kids Definition

spear

1 of 3 noun

ˈspi(ə)r 

1

: a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade used for throwing or jabbing

2

: an instrument with a sharp point and curved hooks used in spearing fish

3

: spearman

spear

2 of 3 verb

: to pierce or strike with or as if with a spear

spearer noun

spear

3 of 3 noun

: a usually young blade, shoot, or sprout (as of grass)