The tongue wounds more than a lance.
Source: tatoeba (240545)
Lance
/lɑːns/
Synonyms for "lance" (149 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: spear, amputate, assegai, auger, ax.
- Sentence evidence is available for lance, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "lance".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "lance"
Keep "lance" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "lance" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "lance", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "lance" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
19 entriesShowing 16 of 19 words.
More specific
10 entriesabscess lanceabscess punctureboil incisionboil lanceceremonial lancecyst puncturelance thrustmounted spear strikespear attackwar lance
Collocations
12 entriesabscess drainageboil incisioncavalry lanceceremonial lancecyst punctureincision techniquelance bladelance pointlong lancemedical proceduresurgical incisionwar lance
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesTranslations
74 translations across 56 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- λόγχη verb (weapon of war)
Armenian
3 entries- գեղարդ verb (weapon of war)
- նիզակ verb (weapon of war)
- տեգ verb (weapon of war)
Asturian
1 entries- llanza verb (weapon of war)
Bulgarian
1 entries- копие verb (weapon of war)
Catalan
1 entries- llança verb (weapon of war)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- نێزە verb (weapon of war)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 長矛 /长矛 verb (weapon of war)
Classical Nahuatl
1 entries- tepoztōpīlli verb (weapon of war)
Czech
1 entries- kopí verb (weapon of war)
Danish
1 entries- lanse verb (weapon of war)
Dutch
1 entries- lans verb (weapon of war)
Egyptian
1 entries- mrḥ verb (weapon of war)
Esperanto
1 entries- lanco verb (weapon of war)
Estonian
1 entries- oda verb (weapon of war)
Faroese
2 entries- langspjót verb (weapon of war)
- lansi verb (weapon of war)
Finnish
2 entries- keihäs verb (weapon of war)
- peitsi verb (weapon of war)
French
1 entries- lance verb (weapon of war)
Friulian
1 entries- lance verb (weapon of war)
Galician
1 entries- lanza verb (weapon of war)
Georgian
3 entries- ლახვარი verb (weapon of war)
- შუბი verb (weapon of war)
- ჰოროლი verb (weapon of war)
German
1 entries- Lanze verb (weapon of war)
Greek
1 entries- λόγχη verb (weapon of war)
Hebrew
1 entries- רֹמַח verb (weapon of war)
Hungarian
1 entries- lándzsa verb (weapon of war)
Ido
1 entries- lanco verb (weapon of war)
Indonesian
1 entries- ganjur verb (weapon of war)
Irish
1 entries- sleá verb (weapon of war)
Italian
1 entries- lancia verb (weapon of war)
Japanese
2 entries- 槍 verb (weapon of war)
- 矛 verb (weapon of war)
Kazakh
2 entries- найза verb (weapon of war)
- сүңгі verb (weapon of war)
Latin
2 entries- lancea verb (weapon of war)
- lancia verb (weapon of war)
Macedonian
1 entries- ко́пје verb (weapon of war)
Malay
1 entries- tombak verb (weapon of war)
Middle English
1 entries- launce verb (weapon of war)
Mongolian
1 entries- жад verb (weapon of war)
Māori
2 entries- rāti verb (weapon of war)
- tao verb (weapon of war)
Northern Kurdish
2 entries- nize verb (weapon of war)
- nîze verb (weapon of war)
Occitan
1 entries- lança verb (weapon of war)
Old Norse
1 entries- spjót verb (weapon of war)
Persian
1 entries- نیزه verb (weapon of war)
Polish
2 entries- kopia verb (weapon of war)
- lanca verb (weapon of war)
Portuguese
1 entries- lança verb (weapon of war)
Romanian
3 entries- fuște verb (weapon of war)
- lance verb (weapon of war)
- suliță verb (weapon of war)
Russian
1 entries- пи́ка verb (weapon of war)
Sanskrit
1 entries- शल्य verb (weapon of war)
Sardinian
2 entries- lancia verb (weapon of war)
- lantza verb (weapon of war)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- gath verb (weapon of war)
- sleagh verb (weapon of war)
Sicilian
1 entries- lanza verb (weapon of war)
Spanish
1 entries- lanza verb (weapon of war)
Tagalog
1 entries- tulag verb (weapon of war)
Thai
1 entries- ทวน verb (weapon of war)
Turkish
2 entries- kargı verb (weapon of war)
- mızrak verb (weapon of war)
Ugaritic
1 entries- 𐎎𐎗𐎈 verb (weapon of war)
Venetan
2 entries- lancia verb (weapon of war)
- lansa verb (weapon of war)
Welsh
1 entries- gwaywffon verb (weapon of war)
Xârâcùù
1 entries- jö verb (weapon of war)
Sample sentences
16 total sentences available.
Somewhere in La Mancha, in a place whose name I do not wish to recall, there lived not long ago a nobleman. To his name he had a lance in its sheath, an old leather buckler, a scrawny workhorse and a greyhound that scurried about.
Source: tatoeba (4736640)
Claire spun back toward Loren and Lance.
Source: tatoeba (6112521)
When you “lance un chameau” or throw a camel in the Democratic Republic of Congo, you have made a spelling mistake.
Source: tatoeba (9862270)
Showing 4 of 16 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "lance"?
Closest matches include spear, amputate, assegai, auger, ax.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "lance"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.