pierce

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pierce differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pierce are enter, penetrate, and probe. While all these words mean "to make way into something," pierce means an entering or cutting through with a sharp pointed instrument.

pierced the boil with a lancet

When might enter be a better fit than pierce?

While the synonyms enter and pierce are close in meaning, enter is the most general of these and may imply either going in or forcing a way in.

entered the city in triumph

When is penetrate a more appropriate choice than pierce?

While in some cases nearly identical to pierce, penetrate carries a strong implication of an impelling force or compelling power that achieves entrance.

the enemy penetrated the fortress

Where would probe be a reasonable alternative to pierce?

The synonyms probe and pierce are sometimes interchangeable, but probe implies penetration to investigate or explore something hidden from sight or knowledge.

probed the depths of the sea

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 pierce And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old? Catherine Santino, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss stand next to a giant man eating Great White Shark with a hook piercing through it in a scene from the film 'Jaws', 1975. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025 The trail starts from the parking lot across the street from Pines Recreation Area, and while the route is steep in some sections, the waterfall waiting at the end makes the walk well worth the effort, with its ribbon of glittering water dropping 150 feet and piercing a clear pool below. Jennifer Stewart Kornegay, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2025 These door stops come in a pack of two and hit 120 ear-piercing decibels when triggered. Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pierce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pierce
Verb
  • Later on, water may have penetrated through cracks in the rock, depositing minerals to create the calcium sulfate veins and leopard spots.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Fewer GCRs penetrating to earth’s atmosphere would mean fewer clouds to reflect heat and thus more global warming.
    Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • While Tranter tinkers and Zuzana monitors the wall of local surveillance footage, Karalis and his team get to work drilling through the wall of the vault.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
  • His company saw a 2,408% increase in flaring immediately following new wells being drilled and a 692% increase in flaring overall in 2023, according to emails unearthed by environmental watchdog organization Fieldnotes and shared with ProPublica and Inside Climate News.
    ProPublica, ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • But her athletic triumph was tragically dampened by years of abuse at the hands of her husband and coach Jim Martin, who in 2010 attempted to murder her, stabbing her many times, slicing the flesh off the bone from her leg, and shooting her.
    Esther Zuckerman, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Harrison stabs Prater with the needle and knocks the billionaire out.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Swift and Beyoncé entered the evening tied for the most-ever VMA awards.
    Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Texas State enters the top 50 after beating UTSA.
    Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • After McNeil refused to get out of his car, Bowers smashed the driver’s side window, punched McNeil in the head and pulled him out of the SUV.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But the biggest red flag comes in the first episode when Laura sees Cherry punch a guy on the street shortly after their first family dinner in London.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • That moment punctured the membrane between past and present for me.
    Michael Jerome Plunkett September 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Part art, part wishful history, and part showmanship that only careful materials science could puncture.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • For borrowers in their second or third year of college worried about getting across the finish line, Pierce recommends speaking with financial aid offices to access grants or cheaper loans to fill gaps.
    Rachel Hale, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Hopper's conviction comes more than a year after the 2024 conviction of Marius Gustavson, the owner of the website where Hopper had accessed pornography related to body modification and body harm.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Stars not just in front of, but within the dusty nebula, poke through all but the densest gas.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 8 Sep. 2025
  • In July 2024, Thompson's daughter Gaia shared a cheeky post on her Instagram Stories poking fun at 2023's Barbie movie's tagline — and Thompson's ex, Kenneth Branagh.
    Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pierce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pierce. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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