as in to stab
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
she deftly harpooned a shrimp with her skewer and held it over the fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harpoon
Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Bowhead whales have been found with historical whaling harpoons embedded in their blubber, indicating that some individuals were alive during the 19th century.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
Nils, for his part, liked to visit this rock with his harpoon.
—Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Clad in a full steampunk-style deep-sea diving suit, this animatronic also clutches a harpoon with rogue seaweed hanging from the tip.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for harpoon 
Noun
Wire mesh would then unfold along the harpoon cables, creating a huge parabolic dish.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Bowhead whales have been found with historical whaling harpoons embedded in their blubber, indicating that some individuals were alive during the 19th century.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
Nils, for his part, liked to visit this rock with his harpoon.
—Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Clad in a full steampunk-style deep-sea diving suit, this animatronic also clutches a harpoon with rogue seaweed hanging from the tip.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for harpoon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpoon
Verb
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Jevon Tyrese Fletcher, 26, is accused of stabbing the victims multiple times inside an apartment in the 400 block of Meloy Road Saturday night, NBC Connecticut reported.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2025
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An off-duty Cal Fire captain was found fatally stabbed inside her Ramona home Monday evening, and sheriff’s detectives are investigating the homicide as a possible domestic violence case, officials said.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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First launched in May of last year, the collection was inspired by Poseidon’s trident from Greek mythology (a nod to Atlantis, the name of the Virginia Beach area where the artist was raised) and featured a mix of gold, titanium, and diamonds in chains accented with spikes.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
28 Jan. 2025
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Four years of superlative football and, after Luis Suarez was added to the mix in 2014, one of the best attacking tridents in history.—
Jack Lang,
The Athletic,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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And that’s not all: Ellis says there’s also an emerging trend for parents and their children of all ages piercing their bodies at the same time.—
Hannah Silverman,
Parents,
14 Feb. 2025
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But nowhere pierces my heart more than German cemeteries, where special sections are dedicated to babies who die before or shortly after birth.—
Blane Bachelor,
AFAR Media,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Those who serve at the tip of the spear set the tone for everyone else by demonstrating the highest levels of integrity through personal and professional actions.—
Cody Bjugan,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
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Then, during the Cold War, US presence expanded exponentially: initially a secret project, the Strategic Air Command base at Thule put Greenland at the tip of the nuclear spear.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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If the extreme temperatures and limited supplies of oxygen don’t get you, a centimetre-size piece of space debris could puncture your spacesuit, leading to rapid depressurization and death.—
Dhruv Khullar,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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Bullets had already punctured the porch steps of Mel Aaron’s home in the East Lake neighborhood of Birmingham, Ala., one of the most violent cities in America.—
Eduardo Medina,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The retainer then struck her down with a halberd, set the mansion ablaze, and committed seppuku.—
Nicholas Liu,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2024
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Also, his halberd starts fritzing on the floor before fading out of existence, a reminder that this is all virtual reality—or rather, VR within VR, the metatextual framing of Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s Creed game.—
WIRED,
WIRED,
16 Nov. 2023
Verb
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This isn’t the first time Drake has jabbed the famous podcaster this week.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
14 Feb. 2025
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Johnson, unfazed and ever the competitor, took it in stride and even jabbed back at the NBA star by questioning his skills on the basketball court.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
1 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The question of security guarantees is a sticking point for companies, Ukrainian businessmen and analysts said.—
Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2025
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Language learning app Duolingo killed off its plucky mascot, Duo the owl, this week — creating a social media marketing moment that may have more sticking power than recent Super Bowl ads.—
April Rubin,
Axios,
15 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near harpoon
Cite this Entry
“Harpoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpoon. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
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