Illustration of spire
- S spire 3a
1
: a slender tapering blade or stalk (as of grass)
2
: the upper tapering part of something (such as a tree or antler) : pinnacle
3
a
: a tapering roof or analogous pyramidal construction surmounting a tower
b
: steeple
a church spire
Examples of spire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lee Somerville, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
As nightfall fell upon Europe, images were already surfacing on social media of towns and countries on mainland Europe, such as Austria and Italy, being alight with bright pink spires rising high above the horizon.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 May 2024
Along the solar horizon, towering spires of gas known as spicules stretch up to about 6,214 miles (10,000 kilometers) from the Sun’s chromosphere.
—George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 May 2024
Last year, beneath Churchill Downs’s iconic twin spires, seven horses died during the week of the showpiece event — two of them in races in the hours leading up to the Derby.
—Melissa Hoppert, New York Times, 2 May 2024
On the stillest nights, at nine o'clock, Major Anderson could hear the great bells in the distant witch-cap spire of St. Michael's Church, bastion of Charleston society where planters displayed rank by purchasing pews.
—CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
The disaster caused no casualties, but the Exchange’s signature central spire was reduced to rubble, reports Jan M. Olsen of the Associated Press (AP).
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Workers are repairing its spires and broken windows.
—Claire Harbage, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Pinnacles is known for its namesake rock spires, wildflowers and wildlife, particularly California condors.
—USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
Noun
First grown commercially in the Provence region of southern France, its waving purple spires still grace the hillsides and perfume the surrounding air during its exuberant late-spring bloom.
—Lee Somerville, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
As nightfall fell upon Europe, images were already surfacing on social media of towns and countries on mainland Europe, such as Austria and Italy, being alight with bright pink spires rising high above the horizon.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 May 2024
Along the solar horizon, towering spires of gas known as spicules stretch up to about 6,214 miles (10,000 kilometers) from the Sun’s chromosphere.
—George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 May 2024
Last year, beneath Churchill Downs’s iconic twin spires, seven horses died during the week of the showpiece event — two of them in races in the hours leading up to the Derby.
—Melissa Hoppert, New York Times, 2 May 2024
On the stillest nights, at nine o'clock, Major Anderson could hear the great bells in the distant witch-cap spire of St. Michael's Church, bastion of Charleston society where planters displayed rank by purchasing pews.
—CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
The disaster caused no casualties, but the Exchange’s signature central spire was reduced to rubble, reports Jan M. Olsen of the Associated Press (AP).
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Workers are repairing its spires and broken windows.
—Claire Harbage, NPR, 4 Apr. 2024
Pinnacles is known for its namesake rock spires, wildflowers and wildlife, particularly California condors.
—USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spire
Cite this Entry
“Spire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spire. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share