as in to pierce
to go or come in or into
a needle penetrated the heavy canvas only with great effort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 penetrate
Until now, the search for possible graves had been limited to what could be seen beneath the surface using ground-penetrating radar.
—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
30 June 2026
Ivory Coast has penetrated the box a bit more, but both sides have just one shot and zero on target.
—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 June 2026
Ukraine has still managed to penetrate those defenses, and may now have an easier time hitting targets outside Moscow.
—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2026
Investigators using ground-penetrating radar found 117 intact remains in various stages of decomposition buried in an open field, the sheriff’s office said.
—
ABC News,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for penetrate
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
30 June 2026
Ivory Coast has penetrated the box a bit more, but both sides have just one shot and zero on target.
—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 June 2026
Ukraine has still managed to penetrate those defenses, and may now have an easier time hitting targets outside Moscow.
—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2026
Investigators using ground-penetrating radar found 117 intact remains in various stages of decomposition buried in an open field, the sheriff’s office said.
—
ABC News,
28 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for penetrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penetrate
Verb
-
The celebration opened with piercing fifes and thundering drums from the Young Patriots Fife & Drum Corps from Pleasanton, as a nod to America's quincentennial.
-
Another means of circumventing the protection of the real property company is through veil piercing using an alter ego theory.
Verb
-
As luxury travel continues shifting toward experiences that prioritize authenticity over excess, wine country may be entering a new era—one where the bottle remains the starting point, but no longer the entire story.
-
King concluded that Saulter was in a conspiracy to get King removed from office, and directed Arriola to view recordings of other cameras in the office to determine who was entering the offices of Saulter and Goodloe.
Verb
-
For anyone who has been putting off a checkup, over the counter hearing aids have made treatment easier to access than ever, which turns this into one of the simplest risk factors on the list to actually address.
-
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide).
Cite this Entry
“Penetrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penetrate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
