harpoon

[ hahr-poon ]

noun

1. a barbed, spearlike missile attached to a rope, and thrown by hand or shot from a gun, used for killing and capturing whales and large fish.
2. Harpoon, Military. a jet-powered, radar-guided U.S. Navy cruise missile with a high explosive warhead designed for use against surface ships and launchable from a surface vessel, submerged submarine, or aircraft.

verb (used with object)

1. to strike, catch, or kill with or as if with a harpoon.

harpoon

/ hɑːˈpuːn /

noun

1. 1. a barbed missile attached to a long cord and hurled or fired from a gun when hunting whales, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a harpoon gun

verb

1. tr to spear with or as if with a harpoon

Derived Forms

• harˈpooner, noun
• harˈpoon-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• har·pooner noun
• har·poonlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of harpoon¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Dutch harpoen, ultimately derived from Old French harpon “a clasp, brooch,” equivalent to harp- (from Latin harpē, from Greek: “hook”) + -on diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of harpoon¹

C17: probably from Dutch harpoen, from Old French harpon clasp, from harper to seize, perhaps of Scandinavian origin

Example Sentences

McLaren did their first runs on medium tyres in the first session to try to save softs for later but it seems to have harpooned Piastri.

From BBC

“And when they got close enough to the seal, they would grab their harpoon and get the seal,” said Johnson, an Inupiaq originally from Nome.

From Seattle Times

Gray whales, once known as “Devil Fish” for their aggressive response to whalers’ harpoons, migrate annually from the cold Alaskan waters of the Pacific down to the lagoons off the coast of Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times

North Atlantic right whales’ slow speed, tendency to float when harpooned and thick blubber — used in cosmetics, leather and soap — made them a frequent target for whalers for centuries.

From New York Times

A stone’s throw from a few lounging sea lions, rusting storage tanks, boilers and beached harpoon boats lay testament to Deception Island’s past as a Norwegian whaling station.

From Seattle Times

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