Definition of pierce
pierced
;piercing
transitive verb
1a : to run into or through as a pointed weapon does : stabb : 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
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
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 of pierce from the Web
-
A piece of aluminum railing pierced the cab's rear window, hitting and killing Blackmon, 37.
-
Bullets pierced the parked car where Major and his mother's friend sat watching videos on a cellphone, and one struck the child's chest, prosecutors said.
-
About 1 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2014, the police used a model called the 100X to emit a series of sharp, piercing beeps directed at people who in some cases were less than 10 feet away.
-
Hood points out that bed bug males use a hypodermic needle penises to simply pierce the female abdomen.
-
The earlier claim that Republicans were purely passive and unwitting beneficiaries of Russian espionage in the 2016 election has now been pierced.
-
To doctors, anatomists, and early paleontologists, the molars of the mastodon looked like spikes perfectly suited for piercing flesh.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pierce'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Synonym Discussion of pierce
Pierce
playDefinition of Pierce
Franklin 1804–1869 14th president of the U.S. (1853–57)
PIERCE Defined for English Language Learners
pierce
playDefinition of pierce for English Language Learners
-
: to make a hole in or through (something)
-
: to go through or into (something) in a forceful or noticeable way
PIERCE Defined for Kids
pierce
playDefinition of pierce for Students
pierced
;piercing
1 : to make a hole in or through or as if in or through I had my ears pierced. A stab of fear pierced his heart.
2 : to force or make a way into or through The sunshine pierced through their faded dresses … — Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie
Law Dictionary
pierce
Legal Definition of pierce
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.
pierce the corporate veil
: to disregard the corporate entity and reach the personal assets of the corporation's controlling parties : hold the controlling parties (as officers or shareholders) of a corporation personally liable for wrongful acts or debts of the corporation a…creditor in New York cannot pierce the corporate veil solely on grounds of inadequate capitalization — R. C. Clark — compare corporate immunity at immunity
Additional Notes on pierce
An action to pierce the corporate veil is usually grounded on the corporation's being an instrumentality or alter ego of the officers or shareholders and on some misuse (as fraud) of the officers' or shareholders' control over the corporation.
Learn More about pierce
-
See words that rhyme with pierce Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pierce Spanish Central: Translation of pierce Nglish: Translation of pierce for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pierce for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up pierce? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!