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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Stevens pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing his roommate, 39-year-old Gregory Schroeder, in October 2024 in a Northwest Boise home.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Feb. 2026
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Minneapolis police say a 51-year-old woman is in custody for stabbing a man overnight Wednesday near downtown.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The piercing sunlight frightens her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
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With blond horizontal stripes dyed in her dark brown hair, bold black eyeliner and the smiley lip piercing, Liu has cut an alternative path to the top of a sport that long valued a specific kind of femininity.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The tree was left in pieces, with one portion puncturing the roof of the school and another crushing a fence.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Testing is also challenging, as finding a leak requires puncturing the spinal canal, which can create new leaks.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mourinho shot off down the touchline, fingers jabbing the air, hugging a ballboy in jubilation.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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Though none of the celebrity moms in question have publicly spoken about the drama, earlier this week, Koma, whom has also produced several of Duff's songs in the past, shared a meme to his Instagram Story jabbing Tisdale French's piece in The Cut.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Of course, if money is no object, picking a luxury SUV could be surprisingly challenging.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
22 Feb. 2026
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Use Liquid Herbicide When picking a post-emergent herbicide, Cuoco recommends looking for a liquid form that can be sprayed directly onto problem areas.—
Nishaa Sharma,
The Spruce,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Instead of skittering off, the hot droplets start sticking and seeping into the surface texture, and leave wet patches behind.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
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These additions can help keep food from sticking and make cleanup a lot easier.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lancing. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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