What does "spire" mean?
The stalk or stem of a plant.
Spire
/spaɪə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The stalk or stem of a plant.
- Grammar: spire is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: steeple, acme, antenna tower, anthrophore.
- Useful contrasts: base, descend, foot.
- Usage evidence: A church spire could be seen in the distance.
How to use "spire"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spire" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "spire" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "spire" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spire" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "spire" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "steeple" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "spire", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The stalk or stem of a plant. archaic
- 2 One of the sinuous foldings of a serpent or other reptile; a coil.
"A dragon's fiery form bely'd the god: Sublime on radiant spires he rode."
- 3 a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top wordnet
- 4 A young shoot of a plant; a spear.
"Clara had pulled a button from a hollyhock spire, and was breaking it to get the seeds."
- 5 A spiral.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Any of various tall grasses, rushes, or sedges, such as the marram, the reed canary-grass, etc.
- 7 The part of a spiral generated in one revolution of the straight line about the pole.
- 8 A sharp or tapering point.
"A beech wood with silver firs in it rolled down the face of the hill, and the maze of leafless twigs and dusky spires cut sharp against the soft blueness of the evening sky."
- 9 A tapering structure built on a roof or tower, especially as one of the central architectural features of a church or cathedral roof.
"The spire of the church rose high above the town."
- 10 The top, or uppermost point, of anything; the summit.
"the spire and top of praises"
- 11 A tube or fuse for communicating fire to the charge in blasting.
Verb
- 1 to sprout, to send forth the early shoots of growth; to germinate.
"In gentle Ladies breste and bounteous race / Of woman kind it fayrest Flowre doth spyre, / And beareth fruit of honour and all chast desyre."
- 2 To breathe. intransitive, obsolete
- 3 To grow upwards rather than develop horizontally.
- 4 To furnish with a spire. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"A church spire could be seen in the distance."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "spire"?
Common synonyms include: steeple, acme, antenna tower, anthrophore, apex, apogee.
How do you use "spire" in a sentence?
A church spire could be seen in the distance.
How do you pronounce "spire"?
Pronounced /spaɪə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English spire, spyre, spier, spir, from Old English spīr, from Proto-Germanic *spīrō, *spīrǭ (“peak; point; tip; stalk”). Cognate with Dutch spier, German Low German Spier, German Spier, Spiere, Danish spir, Norwegian spir and spire, Swedish spira, Icelandic spíra.
Etymology 2
From Old French spirer, and its source, Latin spīrō (“to breathe”).
Etymology 3
From Middle French spire.