piercing

adjective pierc·ing \ ˈpir-siŋ \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of piercing

: penetrating: such as

a : loud, shrill

piercing cries

b : perceptive

piercing eyes

c : penetratingly cold : biting

a piercing wind

d : cutting, incisive

piercing sarcasm

—

piercingly

play \ˈpir-siŋ-lē\ adverb

See piercing defined for English-language learners

See piercing defined for kids

Examples of piercing in a Sentence

She looked at me with piercing eyes, and I was suddenly frightened that she knew what I had done.
I tried to avoid his piercing stare.
She felt a piercing sadness when she heard the news.

Recent Examples of piercing from the Web

But the visualization shows the midsection buzz transforming into a more piercing screech to overcome the pump’s din.

— hiroko tabuchi, New York Times, "Near Noisy Oil Fields, Lovesick Birds Change Their Tunes," 13 Mar. 2018
Making her ice blue gaze that much more piercing, glowing skin and a rosy nude pigment (courtesy of Dior’s new Addict Lacquer Plump lip stain in Lovely-D) rounded out the look.

— lauren valenti, Vogue, "Inside Paris Jackson’s Rock 'n' Roll Beauty Diary at the Dior Party in L.A.," 15 Mar. 2018
And when Marjorie Prime, still working out a fraught relationship with her daughter, streams a favorite song of the younger woman's as a peace offering, what unfolds is one of the most piercing moments in movies this year.

— sheri linden, The Hollywood Reporter, "Critic's Notebook: In 'Marjorie Prime,' Lois Smith Gets Her Greatest Screen Role," 27 Nov. 2017
There are no words to describe the piercing loss Winchester felt on the worst day of his life.

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "Forgiveness and faith buoy Chiefs’ James Winchester through murder of his father," 22 Sep. 2017
One of the first instances of body art practitioners asking to be regulated was in Florida, where a piercing law was enacted in 1999 with input from the industry.

— marsha mercer, Washington Post, "How safe and sanitary is ‘body art’? Laws regulating tattoos, piercing vary widely.," 25 June 2017
But Cornell still emerged as one of alternative-rock’s ultimate heartthrobs for his long, curly hair, fondness for going shirtless and piercing eyes.

— chris macias, sacbee.com, "Why Gen X - and rockers everywhere - are mourning Chris Cornell," 18 May 2017
But his piercing skill was enough to instill fear in the Panamanian soccer team, which responded with brute force in a 1-1 draw with the United States on Tuesday night.

— david waldstein, New York Times, "Christian Pulisic of U.S. Becomes a Target, but Makes His Mark Anyway," 29 Mar. 2017
More muscles and more lustrous hair and more piercing eyes.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "Jon Hamm Wants to Prove How Many Beautiful People Are Funny, Too," 19 June 2017

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

First Known Use of piercing

14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

piercing Synonyms

piercing

noun

Definition of piercing

: a piece of jewelry (such as a ring or stud) that is attached to pierced flesh

See piercing defined for English-language learners

Examples of piercing in a Sentence

There's a small shop in town where they do tattooing and body piercing.
She got another ear piercing.

Recent Examples of piercing from the Web

Body piercings and tattoos must be removed or covered.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "Ever wonder when Panthers cheerleaders get a bathroom break? There's a rule for that | Charlotte Observer," 4 Apr. 2018
Jacinta Garay, whose parents were African-American and Puerto Rican, has piercings on each cheek and musical tastes ranging from Afro-Latin jazz to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

— billy witz, New York Times, "How Giancarlo Stanton Let Go of ‘Mike’ and Embraced Who He Is," 2 Apr. 2018
Biohack companies present implants to be as removable as a piercing or tattoo to boot.

— yael grauer, Ars Technica, "A practical guide to microchip implants," 3 Jan. 2018
Many of these photos are of what appear to be ‘selfies’ of female MSU students, as evidenced by the MSU clothing and piercings featured in multiple photos,’’ according to the complaint.

— david eggert, BostonGlobe.com, "Former Michigan State dean charged in Larry Nassar scandal," 27 Mar. 2018
Many of these photos are what appear to be 'selfies' of female MSU students, as evidenced by the MSU clothing and piercings featured in multiple photos.

— kristen jordan shamus, Detroit Free Press, "William Strampel was the fox guarding Larry Nassar's henhouse at MSU, prosecutors say," 27 Mar. 2018
The one who accepted every insult, every wound and piercing, out of love for me.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Crucifixion still happening in the world today," 23 Mar. 2018
According to The Independent, couples are now ditching diamond rings in favor of commemorating their engagements with something slightly more permanent, a dermal piercing affixed with a traditional diamond.

— emily wang, Teen Vogue, "Engagement Ring Dermal Piercings Are Trending On Instagram," 14 Mar. 2018
At Osento, there were all sorts of bodies, shorn of the clothes that marked class or affiliation except for tattoos, piercings, and the color of their skin.

— meredith talusan, Bon Appetit, "How a Women-Only Bathhouse Helped Me Find My Female Self," 13 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of piercing

1977

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Jewelry Terms

bijou, brilliant, chase, facet, lapidary, paste

PIERCING Defined for English Language Learners

piercing

adjective

Definition of piercing for English Language Learners

: seeming to have the power to see a person's thoughts or feelings
: very loud and high-pitched
: having a strong affect on someone : felt in a very noticeable way

piercing

noun

Definition of piercing for English Language Learners

: the act or practice of decorating your body with jewelry or other objects that are attached directly to your skin
: a hole through part of the body where a piece of jewelry can be attached