as in to stab
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
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Recent Examples of harpoon
Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Bowhead whales have been found with historical whaling harpoons embedded in their blubber, indicating that some individuals were alive during the 19th century.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
Nils, for his part, liked to visit this rock with his harpoon.
—Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Clad in a full steampunk-style deep-sea diving suit, this animatronic also clutches a harpoon with rogue seaweed hanging from the tip.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for harpoon 
Noun
Wire mesh would then unfold along the harpoon cables, creating a huge parabolic dish.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Bowhead whales have been found with historical whaling harpoons embedded in their blubber, indicating that some individuals were alive during the 19th century.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
Nils, for his part, liked to visit this rock with his harpoon.
—Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Clad in a full steampunk-style deep-sea diving suit, this animatronic also clutches a harpoon with rogue seaweed hanging from the tip.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for harpoon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harpoon
Verb
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Last November, while Hart was working, a man stabbed and killed her fiancé, Antonio Young, in the lobby of the Extended Stay America hotel on Gateway Oaks Drive in South Natomas.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacramento Bee,
24 Jan. 2025
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Cruz was indicted Thursday for second-degree murder in the 2:30 p.m. stabbing of the 36-year-old postman at Joe’s Grocery, on Lenox Rd.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The garden places you behind the statue of Old Father Thames, who is riding a two-horse chariot, his trident hold aloft.—
Angelina Villa-Clarke,
Forbes,
10 Dec. 2024
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Each six-way power seat comes clad in smooth black leather with white contrast stitching at the seams and the trident logo embroidered into the headrest.—
Martin Lerma,
Robb Report,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The gang, armed with rifles powerful enough to pierce an armored vehicle, is believed to have attacked from an alleyway along a winding dirt road between the embassy and the housing compound that isn’t always visible even when security measures are taken.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
20 Jan. 2025
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This Ogden piercing fanatic deserves a follow simply for documenting his hilarious transition from TikTok to RedNote, complete with his first lip sync'ed Chinese love song.—
Erin Alberty,
Axios,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Financial Times – 6:24 AM | 52 Inside the hands-on lab of an experimental archaeologist Beyond flint-knapping and tossing spears with atlatls, Kent State University's Metin Eren has a vision for his field's future.—
Andrew Cunningham,
Ars Technica,
2 Jan. 2025
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Some regions, like Sonora, Mexico, include a carrot spear, jalapeño and potato in the mixture.—
Jessica Boehm,
Axios,
13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Those teeth’s ability to puncture yet not break definitely provided an advantage.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
10 Jan. 2025
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Having other options to puncture an opposing defense has always been a priority for Antetokounmpo as his game has matured over the last 12 years.—
Eric Nehm,
The Athletic,
1 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The retainer then struck her down with a halberd, set the mansion ablaze, and committed seppuku.—
Nicholas Liu,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2024
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Also, his halberd starts fritzing on the floor before fading out of existence, a reminder that this is all virtual reality—or rather, VR within VR, the metatextual framing of Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s Creed game.—
WIRED,
WIRED,
16 Nov. 2023
Verb
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During his meeting with L.A. officials, Trump criticized California’s wildfire response, jabbing at Democrats and blaming the massive infernos that have destroyed swaths of the state in recent years on a lack of forest management and water mismanagement.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2025
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Before putting the pruning shears in, Charles slightly jabbed them towards Stewart, and the musician pretended to flinch, causing both of them to laugh.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Sometimes, the losses outweigh the gains, and that’s a signal to stick it out a bit longer.—
Nono Bokete,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
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Snagging a deal on Woot is about being quick, as these deals don't stick for long, disappearing as soon as stock runs out (which is usually pretty quick).—
Gabriela Vatu,
PCMAG,
23 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near harpoon
Cite this Entry
“Harpoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harpoon. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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