as in to penetrate
to spread throughout
with tie-dyeing, the dye does not interpenetrate the entire fabric
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 interpenetrate
Those canyons provide thousands of patches of natural habitat that interpenetrate the edges of greater Los Angeles.
—
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
The works that were being presented onstage, both blackface and ballet, were addressing themes that interpenetrated everyday life.
—Chava Pearl Lansky, JSTOR Daily, 30 July 2025
The strong medicine of Zen and other mystical traditions can flip us into a state of experiencing our whole Self—a boundless, selfless Self that interpenetrates with all that is.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Building and action interpenetrate in the courtyards, arcades, and stairways.
—Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
Water interpenetrates it, a gleaming, mercurial counter-spiral spooling into its open rockwork.
—Jennifer L. Roberts, The Atlantic, 9 Aug. 2023
Negative space and positive materiality interpenetrate in an extraordinary formal condensation of Cubist technique.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2022
With the degree that the two countries interpenetrate each other’s elite and intelligence establishments, think the Russian military couldn’t get a kill shot on President Volodymyr Zelensky?
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022
Traditionalist Catholic ideas and values now interpenetrate conservative American political thought and nearly every political institution of consequence.
—Peter Hammond Schwartz, The New Republic, 3 Feb. 2021
Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
The works that were being presented onstage, both blackface and ballet, were addressing themes that interpenetrated everyday life.
—Chava Pearl Lansky, JSTOR Daily, 30 July 2025
The strong medicine of Zen and other mystical traditions can flip us into a state of experiencing our whole Self—a boundless, selfless Self that interpenetrates with all that is.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Building and action interpenetrate in the courtyards, arcades, and stairways.
—Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
Water interpenetrates it, a gleaming, mercurial counter-spiral spooling into its open rockwork.
—Jennifer L. Roberts, The Atlantic, 9 Aug. 2023
Negative space and positive materiality interpenetrate in an extraordinary formal condensation of Cubist technique.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2022
With the degree that the two countries interpenetrate each other’s elite and intelligence establishments, think the Russian military couldn’t get a kill shot on President Volodymyr Zelensky?
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022
Traditionalist Catholic ideas and values now interpenetrate conservative American political thought and nearly every political institution of consequence.
—Peter Hammond Schwartz, The New Republic, 3 Feb. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for interpenetrate
Verb
-
After the Heat switched to a zone defense, the Magic had trouble penetrating the paint.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Digging down about 12 inches is ample for most garden crops—their roots only penetrate the top 4 to 6 inches of soil—but plants with tap roots may need deeper digging.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ever since, lines from the movies haveshaped our hopes and dreams and aspirations and have suffused our everyday conversations.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Fredericksburg, Texas Located in the Texas Hill Country with a population just shy of 12,000, Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 by German immigrants—and that heritage suffuses the town's food, architecture, and culture today.—
Patricia Doherty,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The bazaar has plenty of goods, and the smell of hyacinths, a traditional Nowruz flower, permeates the narrow alleys, a visceral reminder of springtime in the city.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
-
As the bombardments intensified and expanded to more neighborhoods, the question of whether to leave permeated every conversation that Hadi had with his friends.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, Palestinians and anti-occupation activists describe a culture of impunity that pervades the Israeli settler community, with Israeli soldiers at times standing by as settlers intimidate, harass and even attack Palestinians.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
-
This image is a metaphor for the way imperial colonial power pervades every inch of American democracy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Interpenetrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interpenetrate. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
