as in puncture
a mark or small hole made by a pointed instrument
the nurse kindly put a decorated bandage over the pinprick from the injection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pinprick
E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
The name Stacy Abrams, which appeared in the acknowledgments section of Wolff’s book, was another pinprick.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2018
Distorting drops of water pinpricked my face in the basin’s mirror.
—Dan Chiasson, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2017
See All Example Sentences for pinprick
Noun
Mothers agreed to share current blood samples and allow access to the pinprick blood spots that had been collected when they were born.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025
The name Stacy Abrams, which appeared in the acknowledgments section of Wolff’s book, was another pinprick.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
Device testing was conducted at a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya, where pinprick blood samples were examined for antibodies to measles and rubella.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2018
Distorting drops of water pinpricked my face in the basin’s mirror.
—Dan Chiasson, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2017
See All Example Sentences for pinprick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinprick
Noun
-
Agudelo was transferred to Elmhurst Hospital where she was treated for numerous skull fractures, a puncture wound to her temple and multiple abrasions, according to Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2025
-
The Zainichi documentary filmmaker Park Soo-nam interviewed Korean hibakusha who subsequently arrived in Japan to receive specialized care—for puncture wounds, missing eyes—forty years after the fact.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
Verb
-
Twelve suspects have been detained after 145 festival go-ers reported being pricked while at the Fête de la Musique, according to France 24 with AFP news.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2025
-
The doctor propped my chin in her slender hand, pricked the top of my nose twice, massaged the area for a few moments, and then added an additional drop to the side of my nose to help disguise the asymmetry.—
Alice Gregory,
Vogue,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
The characters in Eurydice do this dance between living and dying, between feeling and forgetting, throughout the play, and are thrust again and again into heartache as a result.—
Pamela Newton
June 24,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
-
After an accident forces him to flee, he is thrust into a globe-spanning adventure that challenges and reshapes his understanding of family, freedom and love.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
Cunningham came to the defense of her teammate Clark, retaliating with less than a minute left on the clock after, earlier in the game, the Fever's superstar player was poked in the eye and then knocked to the ground by two separate Sun players.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
-
Then, during a play midway through the third quarter, Clark got poked in the eye by Sheldon and responded by giving the Sun star another shove.—
Chuck Schilken,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
On the witness stand, Ventura described Combs stomping on her face in the back of an Escalade in 2009 and kicking and punching her repeatedly over the years.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
27 June 2025
-
The 48-year-old father of three Marines was working a landscaping job when he was approached – before officers subdued Barranco and punched him multiple times in the back of the head, footage shows Barranco running while holding a weedwacker.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Crosetti Brand on Thursday was found guilty by a jury (after just 90 minutes of deliberation) of stabbing 11-year-old Jayden Perkins to death as the boy tried to protect his mother from ex-boyfriend Brand, who was knifing her as well.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
-
Svitolina, who had anticipated that kind of ball, knifed away a backhand winner to keep herself alive.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pinprick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinprick. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share