as in leading
to serve as leader of
unofficially at least, Martin Luther King spearheaded the civil rights movement
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Recent Examples of spearheading
Tuipulotu had a career-high 13 sacks, Oweh had 7½ and Mack had five, spearheading a defense that ranked ninth in the league in points allowed last season.
—
Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
Citadel, one of the world's largest hedge fund firms, is spearheading a massive redevelopment of 350 Park Ave.
—Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Increasingly, Norwegian Joint Headquarters in Reitan, a 30-minute drive from the Arctic town of Bodø, is also spearheading NATO’s intensifying efforts to track the submarines of Russia’s Northern Fleet.
—Alan Crawford, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026
Goodall, who has produced and directed a string of shorts and was an assistant on Disney movies including Christopher Robin and Lady and the Tramp, is spearheading the company’s creative development.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026
With Green draped all over him, spearheading the Warriors’ blitzing defensive attack, Leonard was held scoreless for the first 11 minutes and 43 seconds of the fourth quarter, even as the Clippers force-fed him the ball down the stretch.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Attorney and far-right politician Anthony Sabatini is spearheading the group chat participants’ First Amendment case.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Barber began his foray into monument building by spearheading the installation of a statue of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins at KSC’s Apollo/Saturn V Center Moon Tree Garden in 2019.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Nirvana is widely credited with spearheading a cultural shift in music and fashion driven by grunge.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
Citadel, one of the world's largest hedge fund firms, is spearheading a massive redevelopment of 350 Park Ave.
—Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Increasingly, Norwegian Joint Headquarters in Reitan, a 30-minute drive from the Arctic town of Bodø, is also spearheading NATO’s intensifying efforts to track the submarines of Russia’s Northern Fleet.
—Alan Crawford, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026
Goodall, who has produced and directed a string of shorts and was an assistant on Disney movies including Christopher Robin and Lady and the Tramp, is spearheading the company’s creative development.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026
With Green draped all over him, spearheading the Warriors’ blitzing defensive attack, Leonard was held scoreless for the first 11 minutes and 43 seconds of the fourth quarter, even as the Clippers force-fed him the ball down the stretch.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Attorney and far-right politician Anthony Sabatini is spearheading the group chat participants’ First Amendment case.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Barber began his foray into monument building by spearheading the installation of a statue of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins at KSC’s Apollo/Saturn V Center Moon Tree Garden in 2019.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Nirvana is widely credited with spearheading a cultural shift in music and fashion driven by grunge.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spearheading
Verb
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Federal authorities leading investigation The FBI is leading the criminal probe while the Secret Service is focusing on the suspect's behavioral profile, a senior law enforcement official briefed on the bicoastal investigation told USA TODAY.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Canadiens were leading 2-0 late in the second period when Lightning defenceman Max Crozier leveled Juraj Slafkovský with a massive open-ice hit that felt eerily similar to Wilson’s.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The win gives the Lakers a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series with a chance to close it out in Game 4 on Sunday night.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Rice commanding such a fee was down to Moyes unlocking his full potential.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spearheading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spearheading. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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