1
: a steel-tipped spear carried by mounted knights or light cavalry
2
: any of various sharp objects suggestive of a lance: such as
a
: lancet
b
: a spear used for killing whales or fish
3
lanced; lancing
1
a
: to pierce with or as if with a lance
b
: to open with or as if with a lancet
lance a boil
2
: to throw forward : hurl
: to move forward quickly
Synonyms
Examples of lance in a Sentence
Noun
the lance struck squarely on the knight's shield, knocking him from his horse
Verb
He had the boil on his arm lanced.
doctors used to lance infected sores, so that they could drain clean
Recent Examples on the Web
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 11 July 2024
Avenging Cossacks waited to skewer enemy soldiers on their long lances; Russian peasants simply slaughtered them with scythes.
—Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2022
Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
For Shebaa, a postcard-perfect mountaintop village on Lebanon’s southeastern tip, the calamity came around 3 a.m. Friday, when Lebanese officials say two Israeli missiles lanced through the Zahra family‘s three-story building.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
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Noun
Lance Leaf Blanket Flower The three-lobed ray petals of lance leaf blanket flower, Gaillardia aestivalis, give the flowers a unique appearance.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 11 July 2024
Avenging Cossacks waited to skewer enemy soldiers on their long lances; Russian peasants simply slaughtered them with scythes.
—Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2022
Verb
But an Israeli missile lanced through his house, killing the 23 people inside, including more than a dozen women and two children.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
For Shebaa, a postcard-perfect mountaintop village on Lebanon’s southeastern tip, the calamity came around 3 a.m. Friday, when Lebanese officials say two Israeli missiles lanced through the Zahra family‘s three-story building.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lance
Dictionary Entries Near lance
Cite this Entry
“Lance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lance. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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