pierced

adjective \ ˈpirst \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of pierced

1 : having holes; especially : decorated with perforations

2 : having the flesh punctured for the attachment of a piece of jewelry

pierced ears

a pierced tongue

3 : designed for pierced ears

pierced earrings

See pierced defined for English-language learners

See pierced defined for kids

Examples of pierced in a Sentence

a tattooed and pierced musician

Recent Examples of pierced from the Web

There was El Monkey and El Satanico and El Big Homie — willowy teenagers in the midst of growth spurts, with pierced ears, gelled hair, and skinny jeans.

— hannah dreier, Daily Intelligencer, "The Betrayal of Triste," 2 Apr. 2018
Far-right Northern League leader Matteo Salvini has a pierced ear and a genial, everyman style.

— michael birnbaum, Washington Post, "Who and what to watch in Italy’s election," 2 Mar. 2018
At first, the new customers — as a group, considerably more tattooed and pierced than Pope’s typical clientele — were buying relatively small glass distillation units.

— rick romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Legal marijuana brings new sales to Pope Scientific of Saukville," 25 Feb. 2018
One boy suffered a pierced liver after being thrust with one of the 8-to-10-inch knives, narrowly missing his heart and aorta, doctors said.

— new york daily news, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Stabbing attack at Pennsylvania high school injures 22; teen charged," 23 Feb. 2018
The colored, pierced shells themselves are probably not much older than that.

— carl zimmer, New York Times, "Neanderthals, the World’s First Misunderstood Artists," 22 Feb. 2018
The old man beside me with heavily pierced ears and a pointed stick protruding below his lower lip offered me his knife.

— andrew mccarthy, New York Times, "Up Close With the Tribes of Ethiopia’s Imperiled Omo Valley," 30 Oct. 2017
The pierced and tattooed bouncer who opens it gives me a once-over.

— marjorie kehe, The Christian Science Monitor, "To my amazement, I’m with the band," 26 Oct. 2017
When shots ring out, the pierced air causes ripples that spread well beyond the trauma of the wounded.

— tyrone beason, The Seattle Times, "For the loved ones of gun-violence victims, a moment of tragedy can mean a lifetime of pain and a search for justice.," 20 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pierced.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of pierced

14th century

PIERCED Defined for English Language Learners

pierced

adjective

Definition of pierced for English Language Learners

of a body part : having a hole that was made so that a piece of jewelry can be worn through it
: having holes made in one or more parts of your body so you can wear jewelry in them