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Synonyms

spear

1 American  
[speer] / spɪər /

noun

  1. a long, stabbing weapon for thrusting or throwing, consisting of a wooden shaft to which a sharp-pointed head, as of iron or steel, is attached.

  2. a soldier or other person armed with such a weapon; spearman.

    an army of 40,000 spears.

  3. a similar weapon or stabbing implement, as one for use in fishing.

  4. the act of spearing.

adjective

  1. spear side.

verb (used with object)

  1. to pierce with or as with a spear.

verb (used without object)

  1. to go or penetrate like a spear.

    The plane speared through the clouds.
spear 2 American  
[speer] / spɪər /

noun

  1. a sprout or shoot of a plant, as a blade of grass or an acrospire of grain.

verb (used without object)

  1. to sprout; shoot; send up or rise in a spear or spears.

spear 1 British  
/ spɪə /

noun

  1. a weapon consisting of a long shaft with a sharp pointed end of metal, stone, or wood that may be thrown or thrust

  2. a similar implement used to catch fish

  3. another name for spearman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to pierce (something) with or as if with a spear

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
spear 2 British  
/ spɪə /

noun

  1. a shoot, slender stalk, or blade, as of grass, asparagus, or broccoli

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • spearer noun

Etymology

Origin of spear1

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun spere, sper(re), Old English spere; cognate with Dutch, German speer

Origin of spear2

First recorded in 1640–50; variant of spire 1, perhaps influenced by spear 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I would do that, except my ice saw went into the water along with my fishing spear when you slid into the hole.”

From Literature

And on those horses were soldiers dressed in red-and-gold tunics, with spears and swords and bows and arrows.

From Literature

Russia's forces have recently gained limited control over a spear of land to the south of Vovchansk that would bring them closer to this target.

From BBC

Fighters wrap ropes around their punching hand, named "the spear", and block oncoming blows with the other, referred to as the "shield".

From BBC

For almost two decades, the couple have set out to spear sturgeon, the biggest—and perhaps most fiercely protected—fish in the Great Lakes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.