as in stabbing
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
doctors used to lance infected sores, so that they could drain clean
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lancing
His maiden first-class — let alone Test — century was confirmed with a tension-lancing scythe over midwicket in the final session, writes Dominic Fifield.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Penn, giving a brilliant performance of cold villainy that could win him a third Oscar, is unafraid of lancing the inherent goofiness of a fascist.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Sivas begins with apartment blocks and minarets lancing a peach sky shaded with haze.
—Kurt Johnson, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2024
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Penn, giving a brilliant performance of cold villainy that could win him a third Oscar, is unafraid of lancing the inherent goofiness of a fascist.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
Sivas begins with apartment blocks and minarets lancing a peach sky shaded with haze.
—Kurt Johnson, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lancing
Verb
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Authorities allege Medina was involved in a May 19 stabbing at Narragansett Town Beach as hundreds of teenagers packed the area.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
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Also Thursday, Florida is scheduled to execute Richard Knight for the 2000 stabbing deaths of a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old daughter.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Verb
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The Diotima Quartet gave an exacting, piercing account of the work.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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In this piercing account of the American Dream in tatters, the magnitude of that dimension feels appropriate, echoing the currents of betrayal, fear and death that course through the film like rivulets of blood.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Verb
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With the stick shortened, Sweets went into surgery, where vets discovered that the stick had gone into and through the dog's abdomen, puncturing the abdominal wall on the other side, but not the skin.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Shloime Rand, 34, was stabbed in the chest outside a synagogue, puncturing his lung, and Norman Shine, 76, who was wearing a traditional Jewish skullcap, was stabbed in the neck at a bus stop.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The president has kept up his criticism of Leo, jabbing the pope in a May 4 interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on the eve of Rubio’s visit.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
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In the 10 months since, Colbert has not held back, regularly jabbing his network, its new owners’ cozy relationship with the president and reports that his show was hemorrhaging $40 million a year.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The doctors are meticulous about the medical side of operations, spending two years cherry picking the best new technologies and recruiting a team of doctors and therapists from some of Europe’s most respected spas, including Lanserhof, Chenot, and the Mayr clinics.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 May 2026
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No one was picking the Dons in this one.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Return to a boil, gently stirring the gnocchi to prevent sticking.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
18 May 2026
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Still, after sticking Annie so deeply in the psychological trenches, gesturing to the light at the end of the tunnel is also welcome.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lancing. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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