Synonyms of perforate

perforate

verb

ˈpər-fə-ˌrāt 

as in to pierce

to make a hole or series of holes in

he perforated the sheet with his pencil and put it in his binder

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pierce
• drill
• punch
• puncture
• poke
• hole
• bore
• penetrate
• cut
• tap
• riddle
• excavate
• slit
• prick
• split
• break
• hollow
• broach
• gouge
• slash
• rupture
• rend
• prickle
• burrow (into)
• notch
• groove
• gash

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fill
• patch
• seal
• plug

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of perforate

Millie's bowels then perforated before she was born, causing her stomach to swell. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026

The blade perforated Metcalf's right ventricle, and he was pronounced dead after being transported to an area hospital. — Tristan Maglunog, ABC News, 11 June 2026

The recto portrays, in exactingly realistic detail, a locked and beat-up steel rolldown gate, as only the Lower East Side knows them, perforated with 15 black holes begging to be poked through. — Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026

The knife perforated the bone at the center of his chest, the sac that surrounds his heart, and penetrated the right ventricle of his heart. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 June 2026