spearhead
Americannoun
-
spearheads
plural
verb (used with object)
-
spearheads,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spearheaded,
past participle, past
-
spearheading
present participle
noun
-
the pointed head of a spear
-
the leading force in a military attack
-
any person or thing that leads or initiates an attack, a campaign, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
spearheadsimple
-
spearheadssimple
-
have spearheadedperfect
-
has spearheadedperfect
-
am spearheadingprogressive
-
are spearheadingprogressive
-
is spearheadingprogressive
-
have been spearheadingperfect progressive
-
has been spearheadingperfect progressive
Past
-
spearheadedsimple
-
had spearheadedperfect
-
was spearheadingprogressive
-
were spearheadingprogressive
-
had been spearheadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spearhead
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; see origin at spear 1, head
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Meta sunk $14.3 billion into Scale AI, in order to buy Wang into its ecosystem and spearhead its artificial intelligence lab.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
Igor Thiago is an outstanding spearhead, so it is easy to see why Andrews expects improvement this season.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Redzepi plans to spearhead a division currently under the working title of Noma UFO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
EU social democrat lawmaker Rene Repasi, who will spearhead negotiations with European capitals on a final version of the law, has already included a raft of worker-friendly proposals in his draft report.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
There was on each page a tiny spearhead in the corner of one section.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Known as magnetofossils, the microscopic structures come in shapes resembling spearheads, spindles, bullets, and needles.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Referendums are very unpredictable,” worries Thomas A. Lukaszuk, an Alberta politician who spearheads a counter campaign called Forever Canadian.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026
England have opted to have four spinners at their disposal with spearheads Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson backed up by all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska spearheads a mental health campaign called How are you? and she also held the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen focusing on mental health in times of war.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2024
There were no iron spearheads in the chest.
From "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by Scott O'Dell
“This forces a ramp-up in the expenditures that are dedicated to care for our parks,” said City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who spearheaded the proposal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Proposition TE was spearheaded by Park, whose district includes Pacific Palisades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The new America.gov website was spearheaded by U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Earlier this year he spearheaded a consortium who attempted to acquire a controlling stake in his former club Sevilla but the bid failed.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Consequently, there was a sweeping investigation taking place of her activities, past and present, spearheaded by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
President Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the new artificial intelligence czar, spearheading AI policy across the administration, according to people familiar with the decision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Kusmirek’s work includes spearheading a social-media strategy for Nooks, a company that uses AI to help clients generate sales leads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Andrew Morrow, an attorney spearheading the litigation for the firm, said in court Thursday that the group has passed off about 500 of its 1,200 landfill clients to another personal injury firm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Ghana has been spearheading a global campaign for institutions and nations across the world that benefitted from the slave trade to pay reparations.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
He organized celebrations to honor veterans and commemorate anniversaries of the Wall, as well as spearheading fund-raising efforts to keep the memorial in good repair.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
