harpoon
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harpoon
- /hɑːɹˈpuːn/ US
- /hɑːˈpuːn/ UK
Rhymes with -uːn
Where it comes from
From Old French harpon, from Latin harpaga, a variant of Latin harpagō, from Ancient Greek ἁρπάγη (harpágē, “hook”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch away, to carry off, to seize, to captivate”). Sense and spelling perhaps influenced by Dutch harpoen (“harpoon”). Doublet of harpagon.
noun harpoons
- A long, spearlike implement with a barbed head, attached to a line and used to catch and haul in large marine animals such as whales and other cetaceans, seals, walruses, sharks, etc.
-
Such an implement armed with explosives in the head, used to strike and fatally wound cetaceans when whaling.
Similar: exploding harpoon, explosive harpoon, whaling harpoon
- A sharp tip within a disposable syringe, used to penetrate the stopper.
- A harmonica. I took my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana.
verb harpoons · harpooning · harpooned
- To shoot something with a harpoon. Pilot whales, also known as blackfish, were fairly plentiful, and Mundus would harpoon one or two, haul them out onto the beach, and butcher them.
Translations
Talk about this word "harpoon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/harpoon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. harpoon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/harpoon "harpoon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/harpoon.Cite this
@misc{harpoon_2026,
title = {harpoon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/harpoon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
