javelins

noun

plural of javelin
as in spears
a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade from atop his horse the warrior hurled a javelin that pierced the chest of his hapless foe

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 javelins 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 The flowers and ferns of the Mani hills—purple spears, white arrows, feathery javelins—slowly flatten into the horizon. — Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for javelins
  1. spears
  2. lances
Noun
  • Each is almost seven by five feet, and most establish a broad field of color—blue, crimson, orange—across which migrate sharp and irregular shapes, some like long teeth or spears, others like shards of obsidian.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Spears and a club The team found a pointed stick and two spears lying close to the antlered skulls of red deer.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of spears
Noun
  • In the end, director Duong, recognizing Aunt Hanh’s residual indignation, lances that boil.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Snow cannons and lances are the visible part of the snowmaking network.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of lances

Browse Nearby Words

javelin
javelins
jaw
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Cite this Entry

“Javelins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/javelins. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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