PUNCTURING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

puncturing

verb

present participle of puncture

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

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 Executioners spent more than two hours trying to find a vein, possibly puncturing his bladder before giving up. — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for puncturing

Verb

The individual who inflicted the fatal injury drove the spear downward through the victim’s left chest cavity from the front, piercing major arteries and the lungs before creating the hole in the left scapula.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
An argument between children over a pizza slice escalated into a 10-year-old girl having a knife thrown at her chest, piercing her skin, by her 8-year-old brother Thursday, police said.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of piercing

Verb

On April 21, 2023, Garr was walking up Bridge Street in Drexel Hill when police said Weh brutally attacked him, stabbing and slashing the 15-year-old 11 times.

— Joe Holden, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
The 40-foot homemade boat was overloaded with 64 people, who panicked and jumped overboard after De La Rosa began stabbing people, a Homeland Security Investigations criminal complaint states.

— David Goodhue October 12, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of stabbing

Verb

Public-health and environmental advocates have also raised concerns about drilling near communities, including potential air- and water-quality harms.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
The strings were installed by drilling holes with hot water, lowering the modules into the ice and allowing the holes to refreeze.

— Daniella McCahey, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of drilling

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

Then left tackle Alaric Jackson was suspended by the NFL for punching a Bills player on the field after the game.

— Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
The attackers uttered homophobic remarks before repeatedly punching and kicking the victims, police said.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

While the three were picking their way through a clump of trees at the far end of the cornfield, half a dozen does came out of the willows single file, walked under my platform within six yards of me, and started to feed.

— Al Dawson, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
The farm’s famous U-Pick strawberries are expected to be ready for picking Thursdays through Saturdays by Christmas in the adjacent property.

— Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 14 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

The day rewards curiosity more than sticking stubbornly to the original plan.

— Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
The priority the remainder of the year must be personnel evaluation, so sticking a full 17 games with Austin Jackson - who seems unlikely to be back next season - would be denying the front office and coaching staff a chance to see other players.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of sticking

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punctures

puncturing

pundit

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“Puncturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puncturing. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of puncturing

verb

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