spire

¹ American  

[spahy^uhr] / spaɪər /

noun

1. a tall, acutely pointed pyramidal roof or rooflike construction upon a tower, roof, etc.

2. a similar construction forming the upper part of a steeple.

3. a tapering, pointed part of something; a tall, sharp-pointed summit, peak, or the like.

   the distant spires of the mountains.

4. the highest point or summit of something.

   the spire of a hill;

   the spire of one's profession.

5. a sprout or shoot of a plant, as an acrospire of grain or a blade or spear of grass.

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verb (used without object)

spired, spiring

1. to shoot or rise into spirelike form; rise or extend to a height in the manner of a spire.

spire ² American  

[spahy^uhr] / spaɪər /

noun

1. a coil or spiral.

2. one of the series of convolutions of a coil or spiral.

3. Zoology. the upper, convoluted part of a spiral shell, above the aperture.

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spire ¹ British  

/ spaɪə /

noun

1. Also called: steeple.  a tall structure that tapers upwards to a point, esp one on a tower or roof or one that forms the upper part of a steeple

2. a slender tapering shoot or stem, such as a blade of grass

3. the apical part of any tapering formation; summit

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verb

1. (intr) to assume the shape of a spire; point up

2. (tr) to furnish with a spire or spires

spire ² British  

/ spaɪə, spaɪəˈrɪfərəs /

noun

1. any of the coils or turns in a spiral structure

2. the apical part of a spiral shell

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Other Word Forms

• spireless
  adjective
• spiriferous
  adjective
• spiry
  adjective
• unspiring
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of spire¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English spir(e), Old English spīr “spike (of grain), blade (of grass)”; cognate with Middle Dutch spier, Middle Low German spīr “shoot, sprout, sprig,” Old Norse spīra “stalk”

Origin of spire²

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin spīra, from Greek speîra; see also spiral

Explanation

A pointed cone shape on top of a building is called a spire, especially when it rises from the roof of a church. The part of a church roof that rises above a city skyline or a village's rolling hills, pointing sharply up toward the sky, is its spire. Many church spires have a cross at the very top. Other buildings — religious or secular — can also have spires, though it's most common to see one on a Christian church. The root of spire is the Old English spir, "sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spire spired spiring

Two days later, Madonna reposted AI fan edits of herself atop the Empire State Building’s spire, waving a “Confessions II” banner.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

Masked pair climb Empire State spire, hang peace banner.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

First, there is an initital 113m section of sloping steel and glass followed by the eight "bamboo" boxes before reaching the final stage which includes scaling the spire at the very top of the tower.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026

When the spire fell through the stone vault below, it caused other vaults to fall, alarmingly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025

Over the treetops the spire of the village church could be seen, and thatched cottages began to appear at the road’s edge.

From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli

One side is bordered by spired red sandstone peaks and juniper trees, and there’s a cluster of family homes on the other side.

From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2021

Where I live, every day, on the frontlines of this digital revolution, there is every reason to feel in spired.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 23, 2017

For years, Rabbi White occupied an office on the first floor of Georgetown’s imposing and spired Healy Hall.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2015

I was often reminded that the Yucatán jungles lay just beyond Valladolid’s spired horizons.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2012

I wandered within the spired cities and domed pumping stations of Barsoom, and along the verdant banks of the Nilosyrtis and Nepenthes canals.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Fellowship allows universities to nominate four students annually for three-year fellowships that cover spiring computer scientists’ tuition, fees and living expenses while they work with mentors.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 14, 2022

I declare this tower is my symbol; I declare This winding, gyring, spiring treadmill is my ancestral stair…

From New York Times ● Oct. 1, 2015

Terres' monumental effort will be in spiring poets, librarians, astronauts and lovers long after the work's scientific value is exhausted and serious birders have moved on with notebooks and binoculars to newer texts.

From Time Magazine Archive

He found time to keep awe-in spiring files.

From Time Magazine Archive

Lovely starry night, the tall, spiring tree-tops relieved in jet black against the sky.

From My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir

Related Words

• steeple