puncturing

verb

present participle of puncture
1
as in piercing
to make a hole or series of holes in a nail punctured the tire

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stabbing
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

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 puncturing The shrapnel tore through the metal surrounding the engine, shattering the window at row 11, leaving a dent in the plane near row 8 and puncturing the body below the wing, as well as gouging and denting the tail, the NTSB said. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 According to the company website, the glove is designed to disrupt sensory nerves without puncturing or burning the skin. — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026 It’s been a classic staple over decades of British comedy, which from Basil Fawlty to David Brent has rejoiced in puncturing pomposity to reveal idiocy and incompetence. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026 Think of it as a stamp that presses into the top layer of your skin, and deposits pigment instead of puncturing the skin thousands of times. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2026 As the spacecraft closed in, the video follows Mars steadily expanding to reveal numerous craters puncturing its surface, the ancient double-ringed Huygens crater and the south polar ice cap before receding in the spacecraft's rearview. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 22 July 2026 On June 3, Walden went to the hospital, where a CT scan revealed the metal bristle had become lodged in his bowel and had begun puncturing his intestine. — Nick Lunemann, CBS News, 30 June 2026 Where there’s normally carpet or hardwood floors, there are rocks, puncturing bare feet with each step. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 25 June 2026 Better known by her pseudonymous social media handle Jerry Gogosian, Helphenstein left behind a complicated legacy, puncturing art world pieties with both satirical and serious memes and occasionally making inflammatory statements. — Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puncturing
  1. piercing
  2. stabbing
  3. drilling
  4. jabbing
  5. punching
  6. picking
  7. poking
  8. sticking
Verb
  • The most impressive is the national park’s namesake, El Teide, a cloud-piercing volcano at around 12,200 feet high—Spain’s tallest peak.
    — Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Henry is tall and slender with a piercing gaze and blue-gray eyes.
    — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • The stabbing victim had earlier told Calaveras County sheriff’s deputies that he was attacked in the 1200 block of South Main Street in Angels Camp, but deputies found no evidence of an attack there.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Azaria was sentenced to 18 months in prison for killing Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, who was one of two men accused of stabbing another Israeli soldier in Hebron.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of stabbing
Verb
  • Researchers investigating the site believed by some to be Noah's Ark have just wrapped up their first full field season — drilling more than 60 feet beneath the site and collecting hundreds of samples now undergoing laboratory analysis.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To determine the duration of the Chicxulub hydrothermal system, Pickersgill recovered samples at the site, drilling 1 km down.
    — Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of drilling
Verb
  • When handcuffed by investigators, Thakor denied jabbing his wife with a knife.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Years ago, after Jake died, my instinct as a medical student was anger — clenching my teeth and jabbing a pen into my notepad, making a line of inky holes along the margin.
    — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of jabbing
Verb
  • Bella chews him out for punching Angus in the face right before Angus’s big presentation, which Johnny knew about because they were supposed to throw a return supper for him, a dinner Johnny was supposed to cook.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Castro whips her head around and follows him, punching him in the back.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of punching
Verb
  • For owners, picking the right capital provider is a major decision that can shape the future of their enterprise.
    — Frank Williamson, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Florida Lottery players went one for four on Wednesday’s big money draw game jackpots, the lone winner picking the numbers at a Publix.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of picking
Verb
  • Sometimes only the tips of the reeds and the seed heads were visible, poking above the murky water, and other times the reeds stood fully exposed, with a clear view of crabs clambering around their bases.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Video posted to social media showed one car nearly submerged, with just its sunroof poking above the water, as people moved other vehicles farther from the rising tides.
    — Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of poking
Verb
  • By sticking her neck out and opening up a very touchy subject for examination, Hannah-Jones has done much more to advance the cause of public education than most of her detractors will give her credit for.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In fact, one of Lamper’s most viral videos shows Finn sticking his arm inside an automatic feeder to get extra food.
    — Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of sticking

Browse Nearby Words

punctures
puncturing
pundit
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Cite this Entry

“Puncturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puncturing. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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