penetrate
verb
pen·e·trate
| \ ˈpe-nə-ˌtrāt
\
\
penetrated;
penetrating
Definition of penetrate
1a
: to pass into or through
this route … penetrates the leading resort and lake areas — American Guide Series: Minnesota Only a dirt road penetrates the rough, wooded terrain.
b
: to enter by overcoming resistance : pierce
This bullet can penetrate armor.
c
: to gain entrance to
an apartment that I now penetrated for the first time— Osbert Lancaster
2a
: to see into or through
their keen eyes can penetrate the water to a depth of … forty feet— L. K. Porritt
b
: to discover the inner contents or meaning of
a scientific secret which will eventually be penetrated by other countries— Vera M. Dean
3
: to affect profoundly with feeling
men may still be penetrated with awe by the divine righteousness— R. W. Dale
4
: to diffuse through or into
the cold began to penetrate his bones— E. K. Gann
1a
: to pass, extend, pierce, or diffuse into or through something
fishes … which enter tidal rivers and penetrate almost to fresh water— J. L. B. Smith
b
: to pierce something with the eye or mind
strained his eyes to penetrate beyond the thick cloud of dust insight that penetrates to the very heart of some … problem— W. F. Hambly
2
: to affect deeply the senses or feelings
the suggestion might penetrate deeply enough … to make her a good deal more wary— H. A. Overstreet
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Examples of penetrate in a Sentence
These bullets can penetrate armor.
radiation penetrating the Earth's atmosphere
The bullet failed to penetrate.
The heat penetrated through the wall.
The roots of these plants have been known to penetrate to a depth of more than 15 feet.
My car's headlights couldn't penetrate the dense fog.
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Recent Examples on the Web
After a numbing cream and eye shields are applied, a stamping pen with multiple thin needles penetrates the skin from one to two millimeters. — Emily Listfield, Harper's BAZAAR, "Non-Surgical Eye-Lifts Are On the Rise," 14 Aug. 2019 Remo’s president, Omer Barnes, said a bullet may penetrate the door, but a shooter could not get in. — sun-sentinel.com, "Brooklyn Jewish school installs bullet-resistant classroom doors," 13 Aug. 2019 The porcelain of the toilet actually penetrated the wall. — Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, "Lightning hit a septic tank. A toilet exploded. 'A first in plumbing history'," 6 Aug. 2019 As a young business executive, this Ms. B is less inclined to give orders than to ask penetrating, direct questions. — Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, "Kiszla: Why Brittany Bowlen is the heir apparent to fill void at Broncos headquarters left by the late, great Mr. B," 4 Aug. 2019 Light pollution penetrates under the water, creating a vastly different world for fish living in shallow reefs near urban environments. — Jenny Howard, National Geographic, "Marine pollution, explained," 2 Aug. 2019 The fight for Saudi women's rights has even penetrated the entertainment industry -- in July, rapper Nicki Minaj backed out of a concert in Saudi Arabia after pressure from fans and human rights organizations. — Jessie Yeung And Hamdi Alkhshali, CNN, "Saudi Arabian women finally allowed to hold passports and travel independently," 2 Aug. 2019 In the rest of America large, centralised donut bakers such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme hold sway, but neither has successfully penetrated the Los Angeles market. — The Economist, "How donuts fuelled the American Dream," 26 July 2019 Chitosan penetrates both the skin and the hydrogel, linking them, whereas other bonding agents fuse them together with even more sticking power. — Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, "This embryo-inspired bandage is 17 times stickier than a Band-Aid," 24 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'penetrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for penetrate
penetrate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of penetrate
: to go through or into something
: to see or show the way through (something)
: to succeed in becoming part of (an organization, a community, etc.)
See the full definition for penetrate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
penetrate
verb
pen·e·trate
| \ ˈpe-nə-ˌtrāt
\
\
penetrated;
penetrating
Kids Definition of penetrate
1
: to pass into or through
A nail penetrated the tire. But his voice was not strong enough to penetrate the thick wall.— E. B. White, Stuart Little
2
: to see into or through
My eyes couldn't penetrate the darkness.
penetrate
verb
pen·e·trate
| \ ˈpen-ə-ˌtrāt
\
\