noun

harpoon

hah-POON

noun

A long spear-like weapon with a barbed point, thrown or fired to catch large sea animals such as whales.

"The old whaling ship still had a rusted harpoon mounted on deck."

"Modern whale researchers use harmless dart harpoons to attach tracking tags."

verb

To strike or catch something with a harpoon.

"The crew harpooned the marlin from the side of the boat."

How to Use Harpoon

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA barbed spear for hunting large sea creatures, or the act of striking something with one.

harpooned past tense, harpoons plural, harpoons singular

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The old whaling ship still had a rusted _____ mounted on deck.

From Old French harpon, ultimately from Ancient Greek harpage, "hook," related to harpazo, "to snatch or seize."

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