English Reference
Noun

spearhead

n.
C1 Advanced US /ˈspɪɹˌhɛd/ UK /spˈiəhɛd/ spear·head UK spelling spearheaded, spearheading, spearheads Sports

n.the person or thing that leads a movement or an attack. It is the most important part of a group that is doing something big.

n.the leading part of a movement, attack, or organization. Often used metaphorically to describe the person or entity that drives a particular initiative forward.


SIMPLE

She is the spearhead of the new environmental campaign.

CONTEXTUAL

The new CEO became the spearhead of the company's digital transformation, leading the charge into artificial intelligence.

COMPLEX

As the spearhead of the diplomatic effort, the ambassador worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between the two nations before the summit began.

Water-bearing Chinook helicopters flown in from the Netherlands were spearheading the effort.

Phys.org· 16 Aug 2026

Mike German, a former FBI agent and civil liberties advocate , said it was striking that DHS was leading the investigations when typically the FBI would spearhead operations targeting potential “terrorist” activity.

The Guardian· 13 Aug 2026

From Middle English spere-hed; equivalent to spear + head.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English spere-hed
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated