penetrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to pierce or pass into or through.
The bullet penetrated the wall. The fog lights penetrated the mist.
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to enter the interior of.
to penetrate a forest.
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to enter and diffuse itself through; permeate.
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to arrive at the truth or meaning of; understand; comprehend.
to penetrate a mystery.
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to obtain a share of (a market).
to penetrate the Canadian coffee market.
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to affect or impress (the mind or feelings) deeply.
- Synonyms:
- touch
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to extend influence, usually peacefully, into the affairs of (another country).
verb (used without object)
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to enter, reach, or pass through something, as by piercing.
We penetrated to the interior of the Kasbah.
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to be diffused through something.
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to understand or read the meaning of something.
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to have a deep effect or impact on someone.
verb
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to find or force a way into or through (something); pierce; enter
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to diffuse through (a substance); permeate
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(tr) to see through
their eyes could not penetrate the fog
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(tr) (of a man) to insert the penis into the vagina of (a woman)
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(tr) to grasp the meaning of (a principle, etc)
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(intr) to be understood
his face lit up as the new idea penetrated
Related Words
See pierce.
Other Word Forms
- penetrability noun
- penetrable adjective
- penetrably adverb
- penetrative adjective
- penetrator noun
- prepenetrate verb (used with object)
- unpenetrated adjective
Etymology
Origin of penetrate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin penetrātus “entered the interior of,” past participle of penetrāre “to enter the interior of,” from penet-, variant stem of penitus “deep down” + -āre, infinitive verb suffix, with the vowel change and addition of -r- probably by analogy with intus “inside,” intrāre “to enter” ( enter ( def. ) )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Less-lethal munitions such as beanbag rounds are designed to spread the force of impact over a larger area, without penetrating the skin, offering officers an alternative to bullets when defending against threats.
From Los Angeles Times
The man stopped his spinning and looked up at me with pale, penetrating eyes.
From Literature
This allows oxygen to penetrate deeper into the peat layers, accelerating microbial breakdown of once stable organic material.
From Science Daily
This shift is the result of a major push by budget brands to rapidly penetrate zip-codes and go into the deepest pockets of India.
From BBC
They are involved in most serious infections and help bacteria survive antibiotic treatment by forming a protective barrier that limits how easily drugs can penetrate.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
