lances 1 of 2

noun

plural of lance
as in spears
a weapon with a long straight handle and sharp head or blade the lance struck squarely on the knight's shield, knocking him from his horse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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lances

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lance
as in stabs
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object doctors used to lance infected sores, so that they could drain clean

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 lances
Noun
Um dos lances mais bonitos da nossa história. — Stuart James, New York Times, 16 June 2026 Bottom cleaners use lances to scrape biofoul off hulls. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 June 2026 Warhorses charge, lances down, crashing through the tilts as lances break on shields and men topple from their steeds. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026 At a handful of locations, these spikes extended out to nearly a meter, looking more like lances than anything needed to ward off a close-in attack. — ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025 Three or four decades ago, the newspaperman was appealingly raffish—at once a bum who drank too much and a knight-errant who charged unafraid at social injustice, succored the weak, and crossed lances with the powerful and arrogant. — David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lances
  1. spears
  2. stabs
  3. javelins
  4. punctures
  5. pierces
  6. jabs
  7. picks
  8. sticks
Noun
  • The unrest began in mid-March but has intensified, leaving at least three dead as vigilantes armed with spears, clubs, and whips assaulted migrants and destroyed their homes.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 28 June 2026
  • Mexico were being booed, booed furiously, but even that low rumble failed to drown out the whistles, hurled from the stands of the Estadio Akron with the ferocity and barb of spears.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 19 June 2026
Definition of spears
Verb
  • Kara talks her out of it, and when Ruthye walks away, Kara turns back to Krem and stabs him multiple times with a sword.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 June 2026
  • On cue, a Frey leaps out and stabs Robb’s pregnant wife Talisa (Oona Chaplin) in the stomach, and a volley of crossbow arrows lay into Robb and his friends.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
Definition of stabs
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
Verb
  • Commentary and opinions In his latest column, Michael Hiltzik punctures the myth of Alan Greenspan, whose policies gave us the Great Recession.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 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
  • And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old?
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026
  • Lockwood’s music instills joy in listening, and such revitalized desire leaves your body freshly tender, sensitive to whatever pierces the ear.
    — Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of pierces
Verb
  • Continue reading … OUT OF LEFT FIELD — Tom Hanks jokingly jabs MS NOW while speaking with reporter live on the network.
    — , FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
  • But following elite competition is nearly impossible, with subtle flicks and jabs practically invisible to the naked eye—and competitors hidden behind masks.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Definition of jabs
Verb
  • New reads abound for your vacation tote throughout the weeks of July, with fiction picks featuring a Carnival cruise casualty, a highly entertaining jewel heist at the Waldorf-Astoria, and a Soviet-era madcap adventure.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • And with all the trades Peterson has pulled off in his tenure at the helm, the Hornets boast a treasure trove of draft picks just over the next five years alone.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2026
Definition of picks
Verb
  • The late Bill Carr, a former Florida athletic director who was Houston’s AD when the SWC breakup began, once summed this up to me in a way that still sticks.
    — Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 1 July 2026
  • No sooner does Aemond arrive than the silver-white-haired warrior sticks his blade into the smooth-talking Harrenhal caretaker, Ser Simon Strong, played by British thespian Simon Russell Beale.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of sticks

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Cite this Entry

“Lances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lances. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of lances for Spanish Speakers

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