lance
verb/lɑːns/
/læns/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they lance | /lɑːns/ /læns/ |
| he / she / it lances | /ˈlɑːnsɪz/ /ˈlænsɪz/ |
| past simple lanced | /lɑːnst/ /lænst/ |
| past participle lanced | /lɑːnst/ /lænst/ |
| -ing form lancing | /ˈlɑːnsɪŋ/ /ˈlænsɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] lance something to cut open an infected place on somebody’s body with a sharp knife in order to let out the pus (= a yellow substance produced by infection)
- to lance an abscess
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. (of a pain) to move suddenly and quickly and be very sharp
- Pain lanced through his body.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French lance (noun), lancier (verb), from Latin lancea (noun).
Check pronunciation:
lance