1
as in to pierce
to make a hole or series of holes in
a nail punctured the tire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to stab
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
I could never puncture my own skin with a hypodermic needle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of puncture
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
In early March, a woman found bruises, scratches and a puncture wound on her 8-year-old autistic son after a day at his Christian school in Hialeah.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
By the end of the learning unit, Burton said growth in the children could be seen as their vocabularies expanded to using words such as thermometer, blood pressure and punctured.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puncture
Noun
The infant may have sustained puncture wounds, but the official cause of death is pending an examination by the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office, police said.
—Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
In early March, a woman found bruises, scratches and a puncture wound on her 8-year-old autistic son after a day at his Christian school in Hialeah.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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, 1 May 2026
By the end of the learning unit, Burton said growth in the children could be seen as their vocabularies expanded to using words such as thermometer, blood pressure and punctured.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for puncture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puncture
Verb
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Gabrielle’s unflinching competence and dynamism belie acute sensitivity, and the actress allows hints of child-like hurt and hesitation to pierce the carapace.—
Jon Frosch,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
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Because errors constantly occurred and changes were frequently made to the code, Hamilton sometimes edited the printout by hand by sealing excess holes with clear tape or piercing missing ones in the paper tape with a sharp pencil.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Bahm, who was on a call with 911 pleading for help, was also fatally stabbed after Fahim pushed through the door while Bahm was still on the call.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
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Joao Palhinha drove into the box and stabbed over with his left foot.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
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There will be more punches to absorb in what has been the defining series of the second round.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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However, there’s usually an honor code with that – nothing else but punches and giving the fight crowd a show.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Cape Station entails drilling wells 10,000 feet deep—about 2 miles—and then directionally drilling horizontally another 7,500 feet to create adequately sized reservoirs, and fracking (hydraulic fracturing) the rock to release the flows of water naturally heated to more than 400 degrees.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
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Around the edges of the hole, Zubova and her colleagues noticed scratches, which, in addition to the hole’s unusual size and shape, made the archaeologists wonder if it had been drilled intentionally to relieve the pain of a tooth infection.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 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
Noun
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Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national, appeared in green prison garb and fought back tears as his sentence was handed down.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
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Tyson’s vulnerable side was also on display while speaking about his daughter dying tragically, God’s plan for him, and speaking about his mentor Cus D’Amato, which quite literally brought him to tears.—
Malina Saval,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Aggressive bears are known to stalk, claw and even bite tourists in Great Smoky National Park, but rangers say one recent encounter involved a bear poking a hiker with its big wet nose.—
Mark Price
May 12,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2026
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Many curious passersby poked their heads inside, wondering if the restaurant was serving food again.—
Iris Kwok
May 12,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Griffin was picked by the Minnesota Lynx in the third round of the 2025 draft but didn’t report to camp last year to rehab a lingering knee injury from the college season, and she was waived by the Lynx during training camp this season.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2026
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But so far, the focus of these draft picks — which is football first and borders on football only — stands in contrast to the bigger personalities and egos of recent Joe Schoen first round picks such as Malik Nabers, Jaxson Dart and Abdul Carter.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puncture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puncture. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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