lance

[ lans, lahns ]

/ læns, lɑns /

noun

a long wooden shaft with a pointed metal head, used as a weapon by knights and cavalry soldiers in charging.

a cavalry soldier armed with such a weapon; lancer.

an implement resembling the weapon, as a spear for killing a harpooned whale.

(initial capital letter) Military. a U.S. Army surface-to-surface rocket with a range of 47 miles (75 km) and capable of carrying a tactical nuclear warhead.

a lancet.

oxygen lance.

Machinery.

a tube having a nozzle for cleaning furnace walls and other inaccessible surfaces with air, water, or steam.
a pipe for directing oxygen onto a heated metal object in order to burn a hole in it, the lance also being consumed so as to add to the heat.

verb (used with object), lanced, lanc·ing.

to open with or as if with a lancet.

to pierce with a lance.

to cut through (concrete or the like) with an oxygen lance.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

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Origin of lance

1250–1300; Middle English launce < Old French lance < Latin lancea (perhaps < Celtic)

OTHER WORDS FROM lance

lance·like, adjectiveun·lanced, adjective

Words nearby lance

lancashire chair, lancashire heeler, lancaster, lancaster sound, lancastrian, lance, lance corporal, lance of courtesy, lance rest, lance sergeant, lancefield classification

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lancing

Lancing the gum, though it is seldom done now-a-days, is justified in a few cases.
The Eugenic Marriage, Vol 2 (of 4)|W. Grant Hague
And if Captain Lancing had shot himself that was proof positive.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
Now, I conclude that Lancing did not fail to find his deceiver.
The Weight of the Crown|Fred M. White
It was only a shower through which the declining sun was lancing silver rays.
Guy and Pauline|Compton Mackenzie

Once when Mr. and Mrs. Eisele went to see Mrs. Brown, Lancing's mother, they took me with them.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves|Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for lancing

lance

/ (lɑːns) /

noun

a long weapon with a pointed head used by horsemen to unhorse or injure an opponent

a similar weapon used for hunting, whaling, etc

surgery another name for lancet

the sand lanceSee sand eel

verb (tr)

to pierce (an abscess or boil) with a lancet to drain off pus

to pierce with or as if with a lance

Word Origin for lance

C13 launce, from Old French lance, from Latin lancea

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

Medical definitions for lancing

lance

[ lăns ]

n.

lancet

v.

To make an incision in, as with a lancet.

lance

noun

verb (used with object), lanced, lanc·ing.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Origin of lance

OTHER WORDS FROM lance

Words nearby lance

Words related to lancing

Example sentences from the Web for lancing

British Dictionary definitions for lancing

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for lance

Medical definitions for lancing

n.

v.