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Glite Dictionary
to spear up

to spear up

8.8
To rise straight up like a long thin point
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : elevarse
  • An arm speared up to deflect it inboard.

Examples

  • And the signature twin spires of the track spear up through it.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The skyscraper's spire spear up into the cloudless blue sky, dominating the city skyline.

  • Wool said he'd pick Spear up at noon, cutting it too close for Spear, who liked to be early for appointments.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • It made a lovely picture with the willows greening, the daffodils, and hyacinths spearing up in their Easter-egg hues of yellow, blue, and pink.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • As the sun rose, the frost-covered grass spear up from the ground, glistening in the morning light.

  • Along the riverbank, the tall reeds spear up, swaying gently in the breeze.

Synonyms

to lift
vsto spear up
220 1.0

To rise or move to a higher position

describes a sudden sharp thrust upward rather than a general rise
to spear
vsto spear up
1 7.7

To rise quickly in a thin sharp shape

means the same but is phrased slightly differently

Antonyms

to sink
258 1.0

To go down below the surface of water and become underwater

Surface Forms

spear up infinitive
spear up past
spear up past participle
spear up present participle
spears up third person singular

Morphology

spear + up

The meaning 'to rise or thrust upward like a spear' is directly derivable from combining 'spear' (to rise or jut up sharply) with the particle 'up' (to a higher place), following the common English verb+particle pattern indicating upward motion. This compositional structure is cross-linguistically common and transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Spear up may come from the simple image of a sharp spear being pushed up into the air, like a young plant or post suddenly standing tall. So it now means 'to rise or thrust upward'.