spearhead
noun
spear·head
| \ ˈspir-ˌhed
\
\
Definition of spearhead
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: the sharp-pointed head of a spear
2
: a leading element, force, or influence in an undertaking or development
spearhead
verb
spearheaded;
spearheading;
spearheads
Definition of spearhead (Entry 2 of 2)
: to serve as leader or leading element of
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Synonyms for spearhead
Synonyms: Verb
boss, captain, command, head, lead
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Examples of spearhead in a Sentence
Noun
Her book was the spearhead of the clean water movement.Verb
She spearheaded the campaign for better schools. The movement was spearheaded by the teachers' union.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Police on Saturday detained Lyubov Sobol, an unregistered candidate who has become a spearhead of the protest. — Washington Post, "1,000s gather for Moscow election protest," 11 Aug. 2019 And on the right, Gen. J. Lawton Collins led his U.S. 7th Corps toward Utah Beach with the 4th Infantry Division as his spearhead. — Washington Post, "AP Was There: D-Day correspondent returns 10 years later," 4 June 2019 The 27-year-old was the spearhead to Leicester's title winning season in 2016, alongside England forward Jamie Vardy. — SI.com, "Man City Target Spotted in Manchester & Undergoes Medical Ahead of Big-Money Transfer," 10 July 2018 In response to the Crimea annexation, NATO created a 5,000-troop spearhead force that can deploy to trouble spots within days. — Daniel Michaels, WSJ, "NATO, Under Fire From Trump, to Trumpet Its Heightened Readiness," 6 July 2018 Pompeo, who is helping spearhead conversations ahead of a possible summit with North Korea next month, met with Kim for dinner Wednesday night. — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, "Pompeo speaks to press after meeting with North Korea official — live updates," 31 May 2018 Weapons like spearheads, swords, shield fragments, iron knives and an axe were also uncovered. — Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, "Ancient human bones are proof of 'barbarian' war rituals 2,000 years ago in Europe," 21 May 2018 So the motorcycles range out in front of the armored spearheads, in front of the airpower looking for weaknesses in the enemy lines. — Fox News, "What threats face America's electrical grid?," 23 Apr. 2018 The spearheads themselves appear to have been made both with local materials, such as flint, and resources imported from hundreds of miles away. — Aristos Georgiou, Newsweek, "Hundreds of 12,000-year-old Spearheads and Arrowheads Found in Peru by Archaeologists," 14 Mar. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The letter was spearheaded by Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Mark DeSaulnier of Massachusetts; Zoe Lofgren, Judy Chu and Lou Correa of California; and Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, who is also running for president. — CBS News, "More than 100 lawmakers denounce decision to end program for sick immigrants," 30 Aug. 2019 That reinvention was spearheaded by Hubert Joly, who was named CEO in 2012 but stepped down this year. — Washington Post, "Best Buy 2Q profit beats estimates, but revenue misses," 29 Aug. 2019 The push to make the sale of fireworks legal on Independence Day, Memorial Day and New Year’s Eve is being spearheaded by Sen. Travis Hutson, a St. Augustine Republican, and Rep. Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Doral. — Ana Ceballos, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida could make fireworks legal for regular folks on July 4th, Memorial Day and New Year’s Eve," 19 Aug. 2019 The event, held at a private location near the Irvine Spectrum, was spearheaded by co-chairs Afsaneh Alisobhani and Teddie Ray with assistance from a 50-member committee of Orange County leaders. — Coast Magazine, Orange County Register, "POPP nets $204,000 for reproductive health care," 19 Aug. 2019 And the effort isn’t just being spearheaded by longtime Dunleavy critics. — Ben Kesslen, NBC News, "Alaskans mount effort to recall governor as huge budget cuts threaten education, Medicaid," 12 Aug. 2019 The bipartisan letter was spearheaded by two senators — Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, and Marco Rubio, R-Florida. — Katarzyna Markusz, sun-sentinel.com, "Senators ask Mike Pompeo to pressure Poland on Holocaust property restitution," 6 Aug. 2019 The designation was spearheaded by the conservation group Friends of Nevada Wilderness, reports Benjamin Spillman at the Reno Gazette. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Nevada Has a Massive New Dark Sky Sanctuary," 2 Aug. 2019 Last season, Liverpool's front three were up there with the best the Premier League has ever seen and their 97-point, Champions League-winning campaign was spearheaded by the brilliance of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. — SI.com, "Ranking the Strike Forces of the Premier League Seasons Ahead of the 2019/20 Season," 30 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spearhead.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for spearhead
spearhead
noun
English Language Learners Definition of spearhead
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a person, thing, or group that organizes or leads something (such as a movement or attack)
spearhead
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of spearhead (Entry 2 of 2)
: to be the leader of (something, such as a political movement)
See the full definition for spearhead in the English Language Learners Dictionary
spearhead
noun
spear·head
| \ ˈspir-ˌhed
\
\
Kids Definition of spearhead
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: the head or point of a spear
2
: the person, thing, or group that is the leading force (as in a development or an attack)
spearhead
verb
spearheaded;
spearheading
Kids Definition of spearhead (Entry 2 of 2)
: to serve as leader of
She spearheaded a campaign for change.
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