impale

verb

im·​pale im-ˈpāl 

impaled; impaling

transitive verb

1

a

: to pierce with or as if with something pointed

especially : to torture or kill by fixing on a sharp stake

b

: to fix in an inescapable or helpless position

2

: to join (coats of arms) on a heraldic shield divided vertically by a pale

impalement

im-ˈpāl-mənt 

noun

impaler

im-ˈpā-lər 

noun

Synonyms

• stab
• pierce
• puncture
• pick
• stick
• jab

Examples of impale in a Sentence

impale a marshmallow or two on that stick and let's start toasting

Recent Examples on the Web

Station 113 races to rescue the man impaled by the railing atop the water tower that was built in the late 1800s and was expanded to four stories in the 1890s to accommodate fire-fighting water tanks. —Bryan West, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Oct. 2025

Lucas and Simone had been tasked with holding and then removing a protruding piece of a forklift metal prong impaled in a construction worker’s abdomen. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025

The videos, which were shared online, showed baby monkeys being crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled and mutilated. —Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Oct. 2025

Stevenson, who was on probation and is not legally allowed to own a firearm, is accused of killing his victim after impaling him with an arrow, according to the RPD. —Chris Spargo, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French empaler, from Medieval Latin impalare, from Latin in- + palus stake — more at pole

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for impale

• airmail
• assail
• avail
• bewail
• blackmail
• cattail
• cocktail
• curtail
• derail
• detail
• dovetail
• email

Kids Definition

impale

verb

im·​pale im-ˈpā(ə)l 

impaled; impaling

: to pierce with or as if with something pointed

impalement

-mənt 

noun

impaler

-ər 

noun