lancing

verb

present participle of lance
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

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 lancing Use the lancing device (with a new lancet each time) to obtain a drop of blood from the side of your fingertip. — Karen Berger, Verywell Health, 30 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lancing
  1. stabbing
  2. piercing
  3. puncturing
  4. jabbing
  5. picking
  6. sticking
Verb
  • He was charged Tuesday night with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon for stabbing Nobles, cops said.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Continue reading … HATE PROBE — NYC rabbi stabbing suspect accused of attacking another Jewish man hours earlier.
    — , FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • Bauer, who was working in uniform, was shot twice — with one of the bullets piercing his heart — during a robbery at Kislak National Bank, 13490 NW Seventh Ave.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Elizabeth D’Aiuto, who plays Marian, the librarian of this small Iowa town who captures the roving eye of traveling salesman and con man Harold Hill (Elliott Andrews), has a piercing soprano that many an opera singer would envy.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • In fact, Fielder says, Blaine was literally stabbing his hand, puncturing his own flesh to create the illusion of an illusion.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Executioners spent more than two hours trying to find a vein, possibly puncturing his bladder before giving up.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of puncturing
Verb
  • Then, inside the death house, executioners struggled to find a vein, jabbing Pike with at least seven needles, according to her lawyers, one of whom watched in dismay.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026
  • When handcuffed by investigators, Thakor denied jabbing his wife with a knife.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of jabbing
Verb
  • The proof of concept focuses on picking components from containers and arranging them in the correct order for subsequent assembly operations.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • These are the people that are out there in the hot sun, doing the hard work of picking our foods and making sure that (the food) comes to us, the consumers.
    — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of picking
Verb
  • Along with being a calf-sticking impostor, Conrad, according to Hemingway, was a malicious defamer.
    — Stephen Bates, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Turkish and Yemeni traditions that incorporate cloves give the current trend a cultural anchor that pure wellness fads typically lack, which may be part of why this one is sticking.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of sticking

Browse Nearby Words

lances
lancing
land
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Cite this Entry

“Lancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lancing. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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