spire

UK: /ˈspaɪə^r/ US: /spaɪr/ ,(spī^ər)

Inflections of 'spire' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

spires

v 3rd person singular

spiring

v pres p

spired

v past

spired

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

spire¹ /spaɪr/   n. [countable]

1. Architecture a tall, sharply pointed roof or rooflike construction upon a tower, roof, steeple, etc.
2. a tall, sharply pointed summit, peak, or the like.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

spire¹  (spī^ər), n., v., spired, spir•ing. 
n. 

1. Architecture a tall, acutely pointed pyramidal roof or rooflike construction upon a tower, roof, etc.
2. Architecture a similar construction forming the upper part of a steeple. See illus. under steeple. 
3. a tapering, pointed part of something;
   a tall, sharp-pointed summit, peak, or the like:
   the distant spires of the mountains.
4. the highest point or summit of something:
   the spire of a hill; the spire of one's profession.
5. a sprout or shoot of a plant, as an acrospire of grain or a blade or spear of grass.

v.i. 

6. to shoot or rise into spirelike form;
   rise or extend to a height in the manner of a spire.

• bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English spīr spike, blade; cognate with Middle Dutch spier, Middle Low German spīr shoot, sprout, sprig, Old Norse spīra stalk

spire′less, adj. 

spire²  (spī^ər), n. 

1. a coil or spiral.
2. Zoology one of the series of convolutions of a coil or spiral.
3. [Zool.] the upper, convoluted part of a spiral shell, above the aperture.

• Greek speîra; see spiral
• Latin spīra
• 1565–75

spire′less, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

spire / spaɪə/ noun

1. Also called: steeple a tall structure that tapers upwards to a point, esp one on a tower or roof or one that forms the upper part of a steeple
2. a slender tapering shoot or stem, such as a blade of grass
3. the apical part of any tapering formation; summit

verb

1. (intransitive) to assume the shape of a spire; point up
2. (transitive) to furnish with a spire or spires

Etymology: Old English spīr blade; related to Old Norse spīra stalk, Middle Low German spīr shoot, Latin spīna thorn

spire / spaɪə/ noun

1. any of the coils or turns in a spiral structure
2. the apical part of a spiral shell

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin spīra a coil, from Greek speira