[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/spire/)

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# spire

noun (a spire, spires)

«spire» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A spire is a tall, pointed, cone-shaped structure on top of a building, usually on a church tower. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#m1)
2. A spire can be anything tall, thin and pointed, like a rock spire or the tip of a tree. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#m2)

### In the lessons

Church life and buildings: many towns in the UK and Ireland have a church spire you can see from far away; it points upward to heaven. Maths: a spire is often shaped like a cone or a pyramid. Geography: Oxford is called «the city of dreaming spires». Salisbury Cathedral has the tallest church spire in the UK.

### Examples

- The church spire rose above the village. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#x1)
- Salisbury Cathedral has a very tall spire. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#x2)
- We could see the spire from the motorway. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#x3)
- Oxford is famous for its spires. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#x4)
- Lightning struck the spire during the storm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#x5)
- Rocky spires stood up from the sea. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#x6)
- A spire is shaped like a tall cone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#x7)
- All they could see was a mass of towers and steeples behind the green walls, and high up above everything the spires and dome of the Palace of Oz. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/#x8)

### Note

Countable. Do not confuse with «spiral», «steeple» (the tower and spire together) or «inspire». A spire sits on top of a tower; a steeple usually means the whole tower plus spire.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «spire» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spire/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«spire» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/spire.html) on Mova free.