pierce

verb

ˈpirs 

pierced; piercing

transitive verb

1

a

: to run into or through as a pointed weapon does : stab

b

: to enter or thrust into sharply or painfully

2

: to make a hole through : perforate

3

: to force or make a way into or through

4

: to penetrate with the eye or mind : discern

5

: to penetrate so as to move or touch the emotions of

intransitive verb

: to force a way into or through something

piercer noun

Synonyms

• access
• enter
• penetrate

Choose the Right Synonym for pierce

enter, penetrate, pierce, probe mean to make way into something.

enter is the most general of these and may imply either going in or forcing a way in.

entered the city in triumph

penetrate carries a strong implication of an impelling force or compelling power that achieves entrance.

the enemy penetrated the fortress

pierce means an entering or cutting through with a sharp pointed instrument.

pierced the boil with a lancet

probe implies penetration to investigate or explore something hidden from sight or knowledge.

probed the depths of the sea

Examples of pierce in a Sentence

The needle pierced her skin.

The bullet pierced his lung.

The needle pierced into her skin.

The bullet pierced through his lung.

A scream pierced the silence.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jarle’s cereal has coagulated into a mass that Conan seeks to pierce with a week old piece of bread turned to stone. —Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024

Nuns have been pictured suggestively eating ice cream on the front of greetings cards, or painted accepting communion with a tongue piercing. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

Enough for a then 40-year-old man to get his ear pierced spontaneously and infectious enough to create this world around his music. —Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024

She is not unusually pierced or bejewelled or tattooed. —Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

Another 35 pieces were domestic tools: digging sticks, pointed tools for piercing or working hides, and shafts that likely served as handles for axes or stone blades. —Byandrew Curry, science.org, 1 Apr. 2024

Despite optimism that Ukraine could reclaim more of its occupied territories, its counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 failed to significantly pierce Russia’s defenses. —Christian Edwards, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

Money illusion — the common human failure to pierce the veil imposed by inflation — has obscured that reality. —Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024

When a boom and distant gunfire pierce the calm, Mr. Adler gazes skyward and says that this is why his family remains at a temporary home two hours north, near Haifa. —Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English percen, from Anglo-French percer, from Vulgar Latin *pertusiare, from Latin pertusus, past participle of pertundere to perforate, from per- through + tundere to beat — more at per-, contusion

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

pierce

verb

ˈpi(ə)rs 

pierced; piercing

1

a

: to run into or through as a pointed weapon does : stab

b

: to enter or thrust into sharply or painfully

2

: to make a hole in or through

have one's ears pierced

3

: to force or make a way into or through

pierce the enemy's line

4

: to penetrate with the eye or mind : see through

5

: to stir the emotions of : move

piercer noun

Legal Definition

pierce

transitive verb

pierced; piercing

: to see through the usually misleading or false appearance of

the object of summary judgment is to pierce the pleadings and allow a judgment on the merits

—J. H. Friedenthal et al.

the Internal Revenue Service may attempt to pierce the plain meaning of the agreement

—W. M. McGovern, Jr. et al.

Biographical Definition

Pierce

biographical name

ˈpirs 

Franklin 1804–1869 14th president of the U.S. (1853–57)