Thesaurus results for HARPOONS

harpoons 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of harpoon

as in stabs

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

Relevance

harpoons

2 of 2

noun

plural of harpoon

as in spears

Related Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpoons

Verb

But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.

— Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
When Little Death stabs into their victim, there’s a geyser of blood, way more than could fit inside a human body.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of stabs

Noun

Protective, almost — which makes sense, as its stunning chandeliers are designed to look like the shields and spears of African Masai warriors.

— Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026
The kitchen’s electrical oven roasts them during the daytime; they’re then chilled and served cold, with hot sauce, a ramekin of mayonnaise, and a pile of pickle spears.

— Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of spears

Verb

That’s because when a snake bites and punctures the skin and transfers venom into the victim’s body, the venom attacks the skin, soft tissue and connective tissue beneath it.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
If a foreign object punctures the tread or sidewall, your tire can deflate slowly or quickly, depending on the puncture.

— Jason Fogelson, AJC.com, 29 May 2026

Definition of punctures

Verb

In historical terms, this drought is far from their longest, but no team has won the Premier League more times than them (13), and limbo jabs at a leviathan.

— George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Michigan Dem hopeful Abdul El-Sayed jabs CNN giving him 'non-consensual colonoscopy' in recent interviews.

— , FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of jabs

Noun

Grasping hands reach out in despair, deities wield tridents and divine lotus flowers symbolize the 16 levels of Brahma (higher realms).

— Vicky Smith, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Hoosiers can hunt frogs with bow and arrows, clubs, some firearms, or simply, their hands, but Plumier teaches those gathered at Goose Pond how to use gigs — long, multi-pronged spears that look a little bit like tridents.

— Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2025

Definition of tridents

Noun

Humans have been throwing javelins for a few hundred thousand years, yet performance has largely plateaued.

— R. Alexander Bentley, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2026
The Tofinu took refuge in the lagoons along the Bight of Benin, a core area of the slave trade, venturing forth in canoes with harpoons, javelins, and swords to fight off raiders from powerful nearby kingdoms.

— Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026

Definition of javelins

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

harpooning

harpoons

harps (on)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Harpoons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpoons. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of harpoons

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

kith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes