SPEARHEADING Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

spearheading

verb

present participle of spearhead

as in leading

to serve as leader of unofficially at least, Martin Luther King spearheaded the civil rights movement

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spearheading Those involved in spearheading the recall effort have said the data center vote and its fallout, including the upcoming special election, represent a shift away from resident apathy toward local government and civic participation. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 Ruffalo has been one of the most outspoken critics of the deal, spearheading numerous open letters, op-eds and social media posts opposing the acquisition. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026 And longer-term, Brian Hie, the Stanford researcher spearheading this project, hopes that AI can help create more complicated biological systems to treat formidable diseases. — Regina G. Barber, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026 Jim Green, the programming executive who helped launch the ABC Movie of the Week franchise before spearheading landmark telefilms and miniseries including Fallen Angel, And the Sea Will Tell and Stephen King’s It, has died. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026 Now, nobody can — at least not among the 34 teams that make up the two biggest leagues in college and play an outsize role in spearheading policy across the industry. — Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 Jed York’s most notable decisions as owner have included the hiring and firing of head coach Jim Harbaugh; spearheading the plan to construct Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara; and hiring head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Safety might be the average American’s top concern about driverless cars, but the average American isn’t spearheading the political resistance to Waymo. — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026 Here’s what happened, and what to know about the company spearheading the ambitious oil project. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 15 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spearheading

Verb

Moments before, with Wells still at the plate and the Yankees leading 7-1, Flemming and color analyst Will Middlebrooks vented about Chisholm stealing second base and third base during the at-bat.

— Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Check the leading management bestsellers and textbooks, including Gary Hamel’s Humanocracy, Eric Ries’s Incorruptible, Stephen Robbins and Mary Coulter’s Management and older classics like Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategy.

— Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of leading

Verb

And Dean will be the quintessential Mike, commanding the defense as the green dot.

— Sam Warren, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Eastern Hills closed the first half in style when Highlander running back, Cameron Rembel, scored on a touchdown run, sending the Highlanders into the locker room with a commanding 42-0 lead.

— Raul Avila, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of commanding

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spearheaded

spearheading

spearheads

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“Spearheading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spearheading. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of spearheading

verb

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