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APG.American
Pronunciation Guide
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

lance

/læns/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:05
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What does lance mean?

noun

  1. A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen.
  2. A wooden spear, sometimes hollow, used in jousting or tilting, designed to shatter on impact with the opposing knight’s armour.
  3. A spear or harpoon used by whalers and fishermen.
More meanings (14)

noun

  1. A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
  2. An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home.
  3. A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell.
  4. One of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure.
  5. A lancet.
  6. A piece in the game of shogi that can move directly forward any number of squares.

verb

  1. To pierce with a lance, or with any similar weapon.
  2. To open with a lancet; to prick or cut open with a sharp instrument; to pierce.
  3. To throw in the manner of a lance; to lanch.
  4. (informal) To steal or swipe.
  5. To move suddenly and quickly.

proper noun

  1. A surname originating as a patronymic.
  2. A diminutive of the male given name Lancelot.
  3. A male given name transferred from the surname.
Wiktionary contributors Wiktionary contributors

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/læns/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Long Lance was a Blackfoot only by adoption, but his imagination incorporated him into tribal life more powerfully than blood could have.
J. Frank (James Frank) DobieGuide to Life and Literature of the Southwest, with a Few ObservationsProject Gutenberg ebook #314
A child in a shell, holding in its hand a feathered lance, is drawn by five stars, grouped in an under arc.
Thomas H. Burgoyne; Belle M. WagnerThe Light of Egypt; Or, The Science of the Soul and the Stars — Volume 2Project Gutenberg ebook #1650
More book examples (3)
At the firing of a third musket, one of the two men darted another lance, and then both of them ran away.
Andrew KippisNarrative of the Voyages Round the World, Performed by Captain James Cook With an Account of His Life During the Previous and Intervening PeriodsProject Gutenberg ebook #7777
When the fits proceed from dentition, I lance the jaws, and give an emetic, and follow it up with cooling purgative medicine.
William YouattThe DogProject Gutenberg ebook #9478
Longmore gives an instance of complete transfixion by a lance of the right side of the chest and lung, the patient recovering.
George M. (George Milbrey) Gould; Walter L. (Walter Lytle) PyleAnomalies and Curiosities of MedicineProject Gutenberg ebook #747