spear

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spear¹

(spîr)

1. A weapon consisting of a long shaft with a sharply pointed end.

2. A shaft with a sharp point and barbs for spearing fish.

3. A soldier armed with a spear.

v. speared, spear·ing, spears

v.tr.

1. To pierce with a spear or other sharp object.

2. To catch with a thrust of the arm: spear a grounder.

a. Football To block (an opponent) by ramming with the helmet, in violation of the rules.

b. Sports To jab (an opponent) with the blade of a hockey stick, in violation of the rules.

v.intr.

To stab at something with a spear or other sharp object.

[Middle English spere, from Old English.]

spear′er n.

spear′like′ adj.

spear²

(spîr)

A slender stalk, as of asparagus.

intr.v. speared, spear·ing, spears

To sprout like a spear.

[Alteration of spire.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

spear

(spɪə)

1. (Arms & Armour (excluding Firearms)) a weapon consisting of a long shaft with a sharp pointed end of metal, stone, or wood that may be thrown or thrust

2. (Fishing) a similar implement used to catch fish

3. (Military) another name for spearman

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

[Old English spere; related to Old Norse spjör spears, Greek sparos gilthead]

ˈspearer n

spear

(spɪə)

(Botany) a shoot, slender stalk, or blade, as of grass, asparagus, or broccoli

[C16: probably variant of spire¹, influenced by spear¹]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

spear¹

(spɪər)

n.

1. a weapon consisting of a long wooden shaft to which a sharp-pointed head, as of metal or stone, is attached.

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

3. the act of spearing.

4. spearman.

adj.

5. of or pertaining to the spear side.

v.t.

6. to pierce with or as if with a spear.

v.i.

7. to go or penetrate like a spear.

[before 900; Middle English (n.), Old English spere, c. Old Frisian spiri, spere, Old Saxon, Old High German sper, Old Norse (pl.) spjǫr]

spear²

(spɪər)

n.

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

v.i.

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

[1520–30; variant of spire¹, perhaps influenced by spear¹]

spear

- The sting of a reptile or insect.

spear

Past participle: speared
Gerund: spearing

Imperative
spear
spear

Present
I spear
you spear
he/she/it spears
we spear
you spear
they spear

Preterite
I speared
you speared
he/she/it speared
we speared
you speared
they speared

Present Continuous
I am spearing
you are spearing
he/she/it is spearing
we are spearing
you are spearing
they are spearing

Present Perfect
I have speared
you have speared
he/she/it has speared
we have speared
you have speared
they have speared

Past Continuous
I was spearing
you were spearing
he/she/it was spearing
we were spearing
you were spearing
they were spearing

Past Perfect
I had speared
you had speared
he/she/it had speared
we had speared
you had speared
they had speared

Future
I will spear
you will spear
he/she/it will spear
we will spear
you will spear
they will spear

Future Perfect
I will have speared
you will have speared
he/she/it will have speared
we will have speared
you will have speared
they will have speared

Future Continuous
I will be spearing
you will be spearing
he/she/it will be spearing
we will be spearing
you will be spearing
they will be spearing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been spearing
you have been spearing
he/she/it has been spearing
we have been spearing
you have been spearing
they have been spearing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been spearing
you will have been spearing
he/she/it will have been spearing
we will have been spearing
you will have been spearing
they will have been spearing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been spearing
you had been spearing
he/she/it had been spearing
we had been spearing
you had been spearing
they had been spearing

Conditional
I would spear
you would spear
he/she/it would spear
we would spear
you would spear
they would spear

Past Conditional
I would have speared
you would have speared
he/she/it would have speared
we would have speared
you would have speared
they would have speared

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Spear

A term sometimes used instead of Pole cap.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	spear - a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon lance, shaft assagai, assegai - the slender spear of the Bantu-speaking people of Africa barb - a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove javelin - a spear thrown as a weapon or in competitive field events spearpoint, spear-point, spearhead - the head and sharpened point of a spear trident - a spear with three prongs weapon, weapon system, arm - any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting; "he was licensed to carry a weapon"
	2.	spear - an implement with a shaft and barbed point used for catching fish fishgig, fizgig, gig, lance fishing gear, fishing rig, fishing tackle, tackle, rig - gear used in fishing harpoon - a spear with a shaft and barbed point for throwing; used for catching large fish or whales; a strong line is attached to it implement - instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end leister - a spear with three or more prongs; used for spearing fish (especially salmon)
Verb	1.	spear - pierce with a spear; "spear fish" empale, impale, spike, transfix - pierce with a sharp stake or point; "impale a shrimp on a skewer"
	2.	spear - thrust up like a spear; "The branch speared up into the air" spear up jut, jut out, protrude, stick out, project - extend out or project in space; "His sharp nose jutted out"; "A single rock sticks out from the cliff"

spear

verb gore, pierce, lance, bayonet, impale A police officer was speared to death.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

رُمْح، حَرْبَهيَقْتُل بالرُّمْح أو الحَرْبَه

kopíoštěpharpunovat

spydspidde

oda

dárdalándzsaszigony

spjótveiîa/stinga meî spjóti

lancia trafiggere condurre

槍簎銛鑓

nudurtižeberklas

nodurtšķēpsuzdurtžebērklis

spyd

копьё острога дротик

vrhnúť harpúnu

sulica

mızrakmızrakla vurmakkargı

刺矛

spear

[spɪəʳ]

A. N (gen) → lanza f; (= harpoon) → arpón m

B. VT

1. (with spear) → alancear, herir con lanza; (with harpoon) → arponear

2. (fig) → atravesar, pinchar
he speared a potato with his fork → atravesó or pinchó una patata con el tenedor

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

spear

[ˈspɪə^r]

(= weapon) → lance f

[asparagus] → pointe f; [broccoli] → tête f

vt
to spear fish → pêcher au harpon
They were spearing fish in the river → Ils pêchaient au harpon dans la rivière.
to spear a piece of meat with a fork → enfoncer une fourchette dans un morceau de viandespear gun n → fusil m sous-marin

spear

n → Speer m; (= leaf) → Lanzettenblatt nt; (of grass) → Halm m; (of grain) → Keim m; broccoli spears → Brokkoliköpfe pl; asparagus spears → Stangen pl → Spargel

vt → aufspießen; (= wound, kill) → durchbohren; (= catch with spear) → mit Speeren fangen; he speared him through the arm → er durchbohrte ihm den Arm; he speared the meat with his fork → er spießte das Fleisch auf die Gabel

spear

spear carrier

(Theat) → Statist(in) m(f)

(pej = henchman) → Handlanger(in) m(f) (pej)

spearhead

(of spear) → Speerspitze f; (Mil) → Angriffsspitze f

(fig: = thing) → Bahnbrecher m → (of für); (= person) → Bahnbrecher(in) m(f) → (of für)

vt (lit, fig) → anführen

spearman

n → Speerträger m

spearmint

n (= plant, flavour) → Grüne Minze; spear chewing gum → Spearmintkaugummi m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

spear

[spɪəʳ] n → lancia

spear

(spiə) noun

a type of long-handled weapon, usually with an iron or steel point on the end. He was armed with a spear and a round shield.

verb

to pierce or kill with a spear. He went out in a boat and speared some fish.

ˈspearhead noun

the leading part of an attacking force.

verb

to lead (a movement, an attack etc).

References in periodicals archive ?

Will it be bogus Queen Cersei's head on a spike above the Red Keep's Traitor's Walk, or will Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister find themselves at the wrong end of a pointy stick? Could a new and unexpected pretender to the Iron Throne yet be primed to emerge?

'Game of Thrones' season seven: what the new trailer tells us

Film Weekly readers may remember I don't have much love for the Harry Potter franchise (there's the Letters to the Editor to prove it), but this film would've been much better if Radcliffe was sporting his trademark glasses and pointy stick.

Magic to mundane

MAGIC ROBOT How the box described it: "Ask the robot questions, he always knows the answers - The Quiz Game That's Fun" How we remember it: A prototype Trivial Pursuits in which players did battle with a know-it-all automaton with a pointy stick who - due to some magnetised trickery-pokery - would always single out the correct answer to each question asked before you even had time to open your mouth.

Old school kids' games '70s kids will wish they could still play all summer long; NOSTALGIA Because, as Nathan Bevan found out, after all these years you still still can't shut up those Hungry Hippos

With a sharp pointy stick. In shark infested waters.

EAGLES, BIRDIES AND, ER, SHARKS; GOLF ALL THE LATEST ON THE SCOTTISH OPEN Crock Rory cops pelters but Rose says he's not the only star risking his living

They could have Sandy 2 Easdale jabbing them in the eye with a pointy stick and they still wouldn't feel a thing.

NUMB'S THE WORD; McCoist and his men fail to warm up punters who have become immune to the pain in this Ibrox nuclear winter

This morning I bought a pointy stick and a ribbon and a leotard.

If it's not a silly question, how are you feeling?

Laura Clare Hancox said: "There''s a boa constrictor snake on the loose in Huyton, when I leave the house it will be with my big pointy stick."

HISSSSING - and gone MISSSSING; Family hunt for lost boa constrictor

If you find Jafaican yooth-speak unbearable, and wish that Fatboy in EastEnders came with subtitles, here that very same language has been sharpened into a pointy stick to poke an entire subculture in the eye.

WE LOVE tv; PICK OF THE DAY

Second, I'd positioned myself at ground level, nine short yards from the bait, with the intent of launching a pointy stick from my recurve bow, provided the right dinner guest showed up.

Pick a spot: when the shot is measured in feet, concentrating on a spot can he a challenge

Lehman asserts that the fundamental question underlying all science is, "What works?" However, if a caveman killing an animal with a pointy stick is doing science, as Lehman claims, then a sea otter using a stone to break open an abalone shell is a scientist.

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