spearing

verb

present participle of spear
as in stabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object she speared a pea with her fork and angrily flung it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of spearing Individual stakes for each plant should be installed before planting your dahlias to avoid spearing the tubers. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 July 2026 His ideas are later used to discourage violently spearing food with a knife, and instead promote the pacifist chopstick. — New York Times, 17 July 2026 Roupp helped his own cause by making a nifty play to turn two in the sixth, spearing a comebacker behind his back before firing to shortstop Willy Adames to kick-start a 1-6-3 double play. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 25 June 2026 Jafaar al-Samra had just sold an octopus, minutes after spearing it while snorkeling. — Jane Arraf, NPR, 23 June 2026 As settlers moved into the area and took tribal lands near the river for farming, the Bindjareb resorted to taking the settlers’ crops and spearing their cattle for food. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Apr. 2026 Traditional Japanese yakitori calls for spearing chicken seasoned with salt or a soy basting sauce onto bamboo skewers and grilling them over charcoal. — Saveur Editors, Saveur, 22 Jan. 2026 Breakker went on to complete the match by spearing and pinning CM Punk. — Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025 That album cut, originally featured on OK Computer, became a hit seemingly out of nowhere earlier this year after spearing like wildfire on TikTok. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spearing
  1. stabbing
  2. puncturing
  3. jabbing
  4. piercing
  5. picking
  6. sticking
Verb
  • Martinez Police Department A suspect accused of fatally stabbing a man outside a California residence during a burglary a day after being released from custody has been charged with murder, officials said.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Jurors heard a harrowing voicemail left by Johnson begging one of her friends for help as Williams butchered her, stabbing her five times in the chest and four times in her back.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • The shrapnel tore through the metal surrounding the engine, shattering the window at row 11, leaving a dent in the plane near row 8 and puncturing the body below the wing, as well as gouging and denting the tail, the NTSB said.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • According to the company website, the glove is designed to disrupt sensory nerves without puncturing or burning the skin.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of puncturing
Verb
  • The show ushered in a new era of winking, elbow-jabbing meta-musicals.
    — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • The audience groaned, while Vergara and Mel B screamed for Strange to stop jabbing at his partner through the box.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026
Definition of jabbing
Verb
  • The woman eventually managed to escape and ran to a neighbor for help, WPLG reported, adding that her piercing screams were captured on home surveillance video.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The company has been piercing girls and their mothers for nearly five decades with 131 million ears pierced to date.
    — Sharon Edelson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • Antioch Full Gospel Baptist Church members who are facing off in court over control of the College Station congregation will meet Monday to determine the process for picking who gets to preach.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Austria has entered the 2027 Oscar race, picking the Sandra Hüller period drama Rose to represent the country in the best international feature category.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of picking
Verb
  • Florida Attorney General James Ulthmeier once again is grandstanding and sticking his nose into a national issue.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Packers rookie defensive tackle Anthony Campbell has gone from an enormous longshot to make the roster to having a puncher’s chance of sticking.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of sticking

Browse Nearby Words

spearheads
spearing
spearman
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Cite this Entry

“Spearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spearing. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on spearing

Nglish: Translation of spearing for Spanish Speakers

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