harpoon
a barbed, spearlike missile attached to a rope, and thrown by hand or shot from a gun, used for killing and capturing whales and large fish.
Harpoon, Military. a jet-powered, radar-guided U.S. Navy cruise missile with a high explosive warhead designed for use against surface ships and launchable from a surface vessel, submerged submarine, or aircraft.
to strike, catch, or kill with or as if with a harpoon.
Origin of harpoon
1Other words from harpoon
- har·poon·er, noun
- har·poon·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use harpoon in a sentence
They guarded their herds so carefully that the Cave-men could scarcely get near enough to hit them with their harpoons.
The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth DoppThink of the wild horses during the first few minutes after the men threw their harpoons.
The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth DoppFleetfoot told all he knew about the use of spears and harpoons, but he scarcely knew himself how he had thrown with such force.
The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth DoppThe older men watched as Fleetfoot showed the young men how he threw spears and harpoons.
The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth DoppKamelillo waded in, and looked at the harpoons, and shook his head, for he knew the laws and rights of the trade.
The Belted Seas | Arthur Colton
British Dictionary definitions for harpoon
/ (hɑːˈpuːn) /
a barbed missile attached to a long cord and hurled or fired from a gun when hunting whales, etc
(as modifier): a harpoon gun
(tr) to spear with or as if with a harpoon
Origin of harpoon
1Derived forms of harpoon
- harpooner or harpooneer, noun
- harpoon-like, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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