1 lance | Definition of lance

lance

noun
\ ˈlan(t)s How to pronounce lance (audio) \

Definition of lance

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a steel-tipped spear carried by mounted knights or light cavalry
2 : any of various sharp objects suggestive of a lance: such as
a : lancet
b : a spear used for killing whales or fish

lance

verb
lanced; lancing

Definition of lance (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to pierce with or as if with a lance
b : to open with or as if with a lancet lance a boil
2 : to throw forward : hurl

intransitive verb

: to move forward quickly

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Examples of lance in a Sentence

Noun

the lance struck squarely on the knight's shield, knocking him from his horse

Verb

He had the boil on his arm lanced. doctors used to lance infected sores, so that they could drain clean
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Like the woman, who was buried about 260 feet away, the man showed signs of high social standing, wielding a sword, shield and lance and wearing a complete warrior outfit. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "This Iron Age Celtic Woman Was Buried in a Hollowed-Out Tree Trunk," 31 July 2019 Hermine Saunders is a free-lance writer about senior issues for the Carroll County Times. Hermine Saunders, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Saunders: Bureau of Aging & Disabilities best kept secret service in Carroll County," 12 July 2019 The surf contest — which includes jousting on boards with soft lances — and beach concert have attracted between 16,000 and 18,000 people for the last few years, Park said. San Diego Union-Tribune, "Surf, jousting and rock ‘n’ roll: Switchfoot’s Bro-Am festival celebrates 15 years," 29 June 2019 Louis offered a vast sum for the Crown of Thorns and parts of the lance, the sponge, and the Cross. Bruce Dale, National Geographic, "Adored, neglected, and restored: A 1968 Nat Geo feature explored Notre Dame," 17 Apr. 2019 Instead of an internal combustion engine, each axle sports its own asynchronous electric motor, each of which features a cooling lance running through it. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "We’ve driven Audi’s first proper electric car, the 2019 e-tron SUV," 7 Dec. 2018 According to the opinion, his wife embezzled amounts that largely mirrored his payments for his free-lance work as a home inspector, helping to conceal the theft. *No benefit from lavish expenditures. Laura Saunders, WSJ, "So Your Wife Embezzled $500,000 and the IRS Wants to Tax You," 3 Aug. 2018 Everybody knows about the fer-de-lance, which is the deadly pit viper. Jerry Beilinson, Popular Mechanics, "Confessions of a Reality-Show Survival Guide," 9 Oct. 2013 Along this walk, symmetrically spaced, are four lances jutting skyward. Ryan P. Smith, Smithsonian, "This Innovative Memorial Will Soon Honor Native American Veterans," 11 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In other words, Mr. Carlson is free-lancing for partisan purposes and the Senate should ignore him. The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Another Kavanaugh Flakeout," 28 Sep. 2018 India’s problems of corruption and cronyism would be impossible to fix without first lancing the boil of . . Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, "‘The Billionaire Raj’ Review: Gatsby on the Ganges," 4 July 2018 But the second captured the moment: The streak of the missile, drawn out in the long exposure, lanced up into the night, another one further behind it. Washington Post, "Before dawn, the streak of a missile across Damascus’ sky," 15 Apr. 2018 Boils that must be lanced, or at least scabs that itch to be picked. John Herrman, New York Times, "How Tiny Red Dots Took Over Your Life," 27 Feb. 2018 One of the things the theater should be doing today, and rarely does, is lancing the boil of our own self-deception. Jesse Green, New York Times, "Review: Skewering White Pieties About Diversity in ‘Admissions’," 12 Mar. 2018 His goal of lancing the boil of the Catalan separatist movement through these elections has backfired. Tim Lister, CNN, "Catalan Crisis: No mood for compromise after close vote," 22 Dec. 2017 Sunbeams had lanced the darkness, and the flying foxes were returning to the tree to roost. Chiara Goia, Smithsonian, "The Biggest Tree Canopy on the Planet Stretches Across Nearly Five Acres," 29 Apr. 2017 Northern willowherb (Epilobium ciliatum) is an upright perennial weed with oval- to lance-shaped leaves. Kym Pokorny, OregonLive.com, "Know your weeds or risk hurting your garden," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of lance

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

History and Etymology for lance

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin lancea

Verb

Middle English launcen, from Anglo-French lancer, from Late Latin lanceare, from Latin lancea

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More Definitions for lance

lance

noun

English Language Learners Definition of lance

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a long, pointed weapon used in the past by knights riding on horses

lance

verb

English Language Learners Definition of lance (Entry 2 of 2)

medical : to cut (an infected area on a person's skin) with a sharp tool so that pus will flow out

lance

noun
\ ˈlans How to pronounce lance (audio) \

Kids Definition of lance

 (Entry 1 of 2)