spearhead

American  

[speer-hed] / ˈspɪərˌhɛd /

noun

spearheads plural

1. the sharp-pointed head that forms the piercing end of a spear.

2. any person, contingent, or force that leads an attack, undertaking, etc..

   Cuba was the spearhead of the independence movement within Latin America.

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verb (used with object)

spearheads, present (3rd person singular) spearheaded, past participle, past spearheading present participle

1. to lead or initiate (an undertaking).

   She is spearheading an ambitious research project whose results may be used by NASA.

   Synonyms:

   pioneer, initiate, start, lead

spearhead British  

/ ˈspɪəˌhɛd /

noun

1. the pointed head of a spear

2. the leading force in a military attack

3. any person or thing that leads or initiates an attack, a campaign, etc

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verb

1. (tr) to lead or initiate (an attack, a campaign, etc)

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spearheads
  plural

Participles

• spearheading
  present
• spearheaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• spearhead
  simple
• spearheads
  simple
• have spearheaded
  perfect
• has spearheaded
  perfect
• am spearheading
  progressive
• are spearheading
  progressive
• is spearheading
  progressive
• have been spearheading
  perfect progressive
• has been spearheading
  perfect progressive

Past

• spearheaded
  simple
• had spearheaded
  perfect
• was spearheading
  progressive
• were spearheading
  progressive
• had been spearheading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will spearhead
  simple
• will have spearheaded
  perfect
• will be spearheading
  progressive
• will have been spearheading
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of spearhead

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see origin at spear ¹, head

Example Sentences

Mookie Betts stayed hot with his bases-loaded, two-run single off Padres starter Michael King to spearhead a three-run rally in the fifth.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026

He is due to arrive in DR Congo on Wednesday to spearhead scaling up efforts to contain the virus.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Under Ternus, Apple could spearhead the next form factor for the AI era, Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee wrote in a Monday note.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

“It’s an incredibly complex project,” said Alicia Glen, who helped spearhead the project under Mayor Bill de Blasio and now runs her own development firm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

There was on each page a tiny spearhead in the corner of one section.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Related Words

• initiate
• launch
• prompt
• spur