spear
1 of 5noun (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 5verb (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
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
Jim Trotterintransitive verb
: to thrust at or wound something with or as if with a spear
spearer noun
spear
3 of 5adjective
: paternal sense 3
the spear side of the family
compare distaff spear
4 of 5verb (2)
speared; spearing; spears
intransitive verb
of a plant
: to thrust a spear upward
spear
5 of 5noun (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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
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
Kids Definition
spear 1 of 3
noun
ˈspir
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 stabbing fish
spear
2 of 3verb
speared; spearing
: to strike or pierce with or as if with a spear
spear
3 of 3noun
: a usually young blade or sprout (as of grass)
speared
verb
as in stabbed
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object she speared a pea with her fork and angrily flung it Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- stabbed
- pierced
- jabbed
- punctured
- picked
- impaled
- stuck
- pecked
- skewered
- harpooned
- spitted
- gored
- sliced
- poked
- lanced
- spiked
- punched
- transfixed
- pinked
- transpierced
- ran through
- perforated
- bayoneted
- knifed
- spindled
- riddled
- pricked
- cut
- thrust
- piked
- pronged
- bayonetted
- quilled
- poniarded
- dirked
- pinpricked
- gimleted