as in to penetrate
to spread throughout
with tie-dyeing, the dye does not interpenetrate the entire fabric
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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
-
That men like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are entrusted with businesses of tectonic influence can be difficult to understand, but their cults of personality have been able to survive scrutiny, perhaps because the money itself is too imposing a firewall for their own stupidity to penetrate.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The furry white marsupials, which waddle back into remote areas — places where humans would not otherwise set foot — are almost like spies penetrating the secret lives of pythons.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The galleries were suffused with the tang of iron and old cum.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
It’s known as the cosmic microwave background, or CMB, and is made up of the light that was released when the hot, dense plasma that suffused the early universe cooled enough to form hydrogen atoms.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
It's accessed via its porch area and trifold doors that really open it up to the outside, while its many windows ensure lots of natural light permeates within.—
Adam Williams
April 08,
New Atlas,
8 Apr. 2026
-
That reflects an unserious passivity that permeates every level of the Sky organization.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sure, there’s an air of elegance that pervades with guests often embodying that quiet luxury vibe, but that doesn’t spoil the authenticity of the resort, which is a destination for those seeking a blend of sun, sand and sophistication—no matter what designer label your shoes happen to be.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Maybe her most important one is the raw sentimentality that pervades even seemingly vapid moments.—
E.R. Pulgar,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Interpenetrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interpenetrate. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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