Skip to the word

Added 10 October 2026

spearhead

/ˈspɪə.hɛd/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about spearhead at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Someone who leads or initiates an activity (attack or campaign etc.).
The leading military unit in an attack.
The head and sharpened point of a spear.

verb

Be the leader of.
She spearheaded the effort to find a cure for the disease

Origin

From Middle English spere-hed; equivalent to spear + head.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word