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
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
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.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for lances
Noun
-
To say that ranch is popular is an understatement because Americans love the tangy taste on everything from chips to pickle spears to shrimp.—
-
Yiyoguaje sported a spectacular headdress of layered feathers that cascaded down his back, blue and pink, green and yellow, topped by three long macaw feathers standing up like spears.—
Verb
-
The suspect pounces on Ennin while the victim is down and stabs him multiple times before running off.—
-
After Fiona confesses to killing Willem, a raging Constance stabs Dahlia.—
Noun
-
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.—
Verb
-
But Anderson punctures his weed haze with the bright light of a past that in actuality never dimmed, when Lockjaw begins to hunt Pat and Willa.—
-
Recounting his visit with Shelton’s body after she’d been taken off of life support in From Bleak to Dark, Maron punctures the somber scene with a joke about taking a selfie.—
Verb
-
Nothing that pierces the skin should ever be used as leverage over a child's opportunity to education and to learn.—
-
Nicole Kidman's stare pierces the room.—
Verb
-
Srinivas, who often jabs the search engine giant, made an interesting point.—
-
Haggard jabs Baird over mailers The race is already tense.—
Verb
-
The robot picks unsorted bearing rings and places them onto a buffer table.—
-
Our top picks start at $16, with some even on sale, too.—
Verb
-
Research in habit formation consistently shows that behavior sticks when it is tied to context cues, environment and routine rather than motivation alone.—
-
Let’s hope the finale sticks the landing.—
Cite this Entry
“Lances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lances. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
