: a barbed spear or javelin used especially in hunting large fish or whales
harpoon
transitive verb
harpooner
noun
Examples of harpoon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Companies such as Airbus have worked on nets and harpoons that can wrap around or impale objects in space and bring them back down through the atmosphere.
—
Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2024
Wire mesh would then unfold along the harpoon cables, creating a huge parabolic dish.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Bowhead whales have been found with historical whaling harpoons embedded in their blubber, indicating that some individuals were alive during the 19th century.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
Nils, for his part, liked to visit this rock with his harpoon.
—Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harpoon 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 28 Oct. 2024
Wire mesh would then unfold along the harpoon cables, creating a huge parabolic dish.
—Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Bowhead whales have been found with historical whaling harpoons embedded in their blubber, indicating that some individuals were alive during the 19th century.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
Nils, for his part, liked to visit this rock with his harpoon.
—Brooke Jarvis, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harpoon
Dictionary Entries Near harpoon
Cite this Entry
“Harpoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harpoon. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
harpoon
noun
har·poon
här-ˈpün 
: a medical instrument with a barbed head used for removing bits of living tissue for examination
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share