A harpoon is a long spear with a barbed point, designed to pierce and hold onto something. Whalers once threw or shot harpoons into whales, and the barbs (backward-facing hooks) kept the harpoon from pulling out. The harpoon had a rope attached, allowing hunters to track and eventually capture the whale.

Harpoons have been used for thousands of years to hunt large sea creatures like whales, seals, and giant fish. In the 1800s and early 1900s, whaling ships hunted whales for their oil, which people used for lamps and other products. A skilled harpooner had to time the throw perfectly as the ship rolled on the waves. Later, whalers developed harpoon guns that fired the weapon like a cannon, making the process more efficient but also more devastating to whale populations.

Today, most whaling has stopped due to conservation efforts, though a few countries still practice it in limited ways. Modern researchers sometimes use modified harpoons to take small tissue samples from whales without seriously harming them, helping scientists study whale health and migration patterns.

You might hear someone say they harpooned something when they caught or grabbed it decisively, like a goalkeeper who harpooned a shot headed for the corner of the net.