pierce

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pierce differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pierce are enter, penetrate, and probe. While all these words mean "to make way into something," pierce means an entering or cutting through with a sharp pointed instrument.

pierced the boil with a lancet

When might enter be a better fit than pierce?

While the synonyms enter and pierce are close in meaning, enter is the most general of these and may imply either going in or forcing a way in.

entered the city in triumph

When is penetrate a more appropriate choice than pierce?

While in some cases nearly identical to pierce, penetrate carries a strong implication of an impelling force or compelling power that achieves entrance.

the enemy penetrated the fortress

Where would probe be a reasonable alternative to pierce?

The synonyms probe and pierce are sometimes interchangeable, but probe implies penetration to investigate or explore something hidden from sight or knowledge.

probed the depths of the sea

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pierce While traveling to Saint Luke’s Hospital aboard an ambulance, the suspect allegedly stabbed Hoffman with a knife, piercing his heart, around 1:25 a.m. David Matthews, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025 Early Sunday morning, firefighter Graham Hoffman, 29, was in the back of an ambulance transporting a patient to the hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, when he was stabbed in the chest, piercing his heart, according to a press release published on the city's website. Julia Gomez, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025 Hoffman was stabbed in the chest, piercing his heart, Kansas City Fire Chief Ross Grundyson said in a statement. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2025 Graham Hoffman, 29, was transporting a patient following a routine medical call from police on Sunday when he was stabbed in the chest, piercing his heart. Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pierce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pierce
Verb
  • Across a two-year period beginning at the end of 2010, China managed to penetrate and dismantle the U.S. intelligence agency’s network of spies in the country in what was revealed in 2018 to have been largely due to the agency botching its clandestine communication system.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 2 May 2025
  • The pollutants impacting air quality are heavily influenced by temperature and wildfire activity and can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • The Bears’ senior drilled a walk-off double to center field in the bottom of the seventh that scored two runs, giving Menlo-Atherton a 4-3 win Wednesday over Burlingame in a Peninsula Athletic League Bay contest.
    Mike Lefkow, Mercury News, 8 May 2025
  • On the Knicks’ next possession, Bridges drilled a 3-pointer from the corner, getting help from the backboard as the ball glanced off the glass.
    Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
Verb
  • Rapper Tory Lanez, who is serving jail time, was hospitalized after another inmate stabbed him.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025
  • Life outside the courtroom, however, is a bit more complicated, with Nash-Betts weeping in a hospital gown and Kardashian stabbing herself with a needle in a bathroom stall.
    Emlyn Travis Published, EW.com, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • Dutton entered the five-week campaign on a strong footing.
    Hilary Whiteman and Angus Watson, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
  • Detectives obtained footage from that morning, which showed a woman park the Ford outside a building on 2nd Avenue before entering one of the units.
    Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • The Panthers can punch with anyone, if this series comes to that.
    Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 12 May 2025
  • All three have at least one title, too, and the power four has punched three Final Four tickets in the last two state tournaments.
    Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 10 May 2025
Verb
  • Amid a McLaren supremacy in 2025 that only Max Verstappen has been able to puncture by winning a race ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Russell has still been a regular interloper at the front of the grid, scoring three podiums in the opening five races.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
  • As happy endings go, The Wedding Banquet’s feels almost too good to be true, though the wailing babies helpfully puncture the fantasy a bit.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • So these groups are a real reminder for me that the internet can be such a balm to communities of people who can't access each other offline.
    Tonya Mosley, NPR, 8 May 2025
  • At the same time, the EU and U.K. should establish mutual recognition of IPO requirements, allowing European companies to access capital more efficiently.
    Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • Pickard poked fun at himself late in the regular season for doing a double-pad stack in 2025.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 1 May 2025
  • The actor also poked fun at his name in a pre-show interview with Pat’s daughter, Maggie Sajak, after thanking her for saying it correctly.
    Liza Esquibias, People.com, 1 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pierce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pierce. Accessed 16 May. 2025.

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