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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harpoon
Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025
The harpoon gun shot was entirely real.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025
Someone is then shot with a harpoon, only to have their guts pulled like taffy from the wound.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
Scientists have also drawn on historical evidence—the harpoon tips embedded in the animals’ blubber.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for harpoon
Noun
After trying to convince the disgruntled clerk to take it off his hands, the monkey bangs its drum, causing a harpoon gun on display to impale the clerk and rip out his entrails.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025
The harpoon gun shot was entirely real.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025
Someone is then shot with a harpoon, only to have their guts pulled like taffy from the wound.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
Scientists have also drawn on historical evidence—the harpoon tips embedded in the animals’ blubber.
—Bymitch Leslie, science.org, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for harpoon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpoon
Verb
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Rapper Tory Lanez, who is serving jail time, was hospitalized after another inmate stabbed him.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2025
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Life outside the courtroom, however, is a bit more complicated, with Nash-Betts weeping in a hospital gown and Kardashian stabbing herself with a needle in a bathroom stall.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
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The Seattle Mariners have celebrated home runs by raising a golden trident, and while Shohei Ohtani was still playing for the Angels, the team would celebrate bombs by donning a samurai helmet.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2025
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During those visits, Zelensky wore a simple sweatshirt—also embroidered with the trident.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
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If one chapter of your mortal span—your wartime experience, or a love affair—has pierced you more sharply than any other, why shouldn’t that chapter go up front?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
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Taking the main melody, the nine-time Grammy winner’s piercing voice soars over lush harmonies provided by the other singers, with Eilish adding her own tasteful riffs throughout.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
5 May 2025
Noun
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The Trump administration – with Musk and his aides as the tip of the spear – have roiled the federal government with mass layoffs and demands for access to sensitive information at agencies including the Social Security Administration and the National Labor Relations Board.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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Later, the antler was likely repurposed as part of a harpoon, a pointed spear used to catch fish.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Amid a McLaren supremacy in 2025 that only Max Verstappen has been able to puncture by winning a race ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Russell has still been a regular interloper at the front of the grid, scoring three podiums in the opening five races.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
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As happy endings go, The Wedding Banquet’s feels almost too good to be true, though the wailing babies helpfully puncture the fantasy a bit.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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During different events, the guards will add white gloves, a black helmet and/or the halberd.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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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
Verb
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Asked about Trump's return to power on Thursday, Biden jabbed the current president on several fronts from domestic to international affairs.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
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Cole has jabbed at West on multiple occasions in the past.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Best Uses Due to their smooth, slippery surface, nonstick pans are ideal for delicate foods that are prone to sticking.—
Katelyn Squiers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 May 2025
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No calibration, no camera… just plug, stick, and go.—
Paul Lamkin,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harpoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpoon. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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