Usage: Use "spearheaded" as a verb when you mean to simple past and past participle of spearhead. It works well in active constructions where the subject is clearly the agent of the action.
Watch out: Writers sometimes confuse "spearheaded" with "bravo" or "champion" — the words overlap in meaning but differ in nuance or register. Use "spearheaded" when you specifically mean its core sense rather than defaulting to it as a generic substitute.
"A study spearheaded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the prevalence of HIV in Haiti, Vietnam, Nigeria, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia."
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Last reviewed May 2026.
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