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• pierce
  pierce

  verb (used with object)

  to penetrate into or run through (something), as a sharp, pointed dagger, object, or instrument does.
• Pierce
  Pierce

  noun

  Franklin, 1804–69, 14th president of the U.S. 1853–57.

pierce

¹ American  

[peers] / pɪərs /

verb (used with object)

• pierces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pierced,
  past participle,  past
• piercing
  present participle

1. to penetrate into or run through (something), as a sharp, pointed dagger, object, or instrument does.

   Synonyms:

   puncture, enter

2. to make a hole or opening in.

3. to bore into or through; tunnel.

4. to perforate.

5. to make (a hole, opening, etc.) by or as by boring or perforating.

6. to make a way or path into or through.

   a road that pierces the dense jungle.

7. to penetrate with the eye or mind; see into or through.

   She couldn't pierce his thoughts.

8. to affect sharply with some sensation or emotion, as of cold, pain, or grief.

   The wind pierced her body. Her words pierced our hearts.

   Synonyms:

   thrill, strike, move, touch

9. to sound sharply through (the air, stillness, etc.).

   A pistol shot pierced the night.

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verb (used without object)

• pierces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pierced,
  past participle,  past
• piercing
  present participle

1. to force or make a way into or through something; penetrate.

   to pierce to the heart.

Pierce ² American  

[peers] / pɪərs /

noun

1. Franklin, 1804–69, 14th president of the U.S. 1853–57.

2. John Robinson, 1910–2002, U.S. electrical engineer: helped develop communications satellites.

3. a male given name, form of Peter.

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pierce ¹ British  

/ pɪəs /

verb

1. to form or cut (a hole) in (something) with or as if with a sharp instrument

2. to thrust into or penetrate sharply or violently

   the thorn pierced his heel

3. to force (a way, route, etc) through (something)

4. (of light) to shine through or penetrate (darkness)

5. (also intr) to discover or realize (something) suddenly or (of an idea) to become suddenly apparent

6. (of sounds or cries) to sound sharply through (the silence)

7. to move or affect (a person's emotions, bodily feelings, etc) deeply or sharply

   the cold pierced their bones

8. (intr) to penetrate or be capable of penetrating

   piercing cold

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Pierce ² British  

/ pɪəs /

noun

1. Franklin. 1804–69, US statesman; 14th president of the US (1853–57)

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Usage

What does pierce mean? To pierce something is to penetrate or puncture it, usually with something sharp, making a hole in the process. This sense of the word is associated with needles and other thin, sharp objects used to pierce surfaces. To pierce someone’s ear is to make a hole in it with a needle so that an earring can be inserted. This is called a piercing. The word can be used in the context of someone doing the piercing, as in You will need to pierce the skin with this needle, or in the context of an object piercing something, as in The needle pierced the skin. Things that have been pierced can be described with the adjective pierced, as in pierced ears.  Things that pierce aren’t always sharp. Sometimes, things pierce by penetrating with force. For example, bullets and artillery shells that are designed to pierce protective coverings and shields are described as armor-piercing. More broadly, pierce can mean to make a hole, opening, tunnel, or path into or through something, as in The mountain is pierced by a long tunnel.  These literal senses of pierce are the basis of several figurative senses of the word. Pierce can mean to see into or through, as if penetrating something with the eye or mind, as in Her stare pierced my soul. It can also mean to affect intensely or sharply, as in The wind pierced my face or Your writing needs to pierce the reader’s heart. An insult can pierce you in this way—meaning it can cut you deeply. Similarly, shrill sounds can be said to pierce your ears, the air, or the stillness, and light can be said to pierce the darkness. The word piercing can also be used as an adjective to describe things that are intense, penetrating, or sharp in a figurative way, as in a piercing wind, a piercing scream, a piercing stare, or a piercing remark. Example: This tarp is pretty thick, so to pierce it you’ll have to really stab the stake through it forcefully.

Synonym Usage

Pierce, penetrate suggest the action of one object passing through another or making a way through and into another. The terms are used both concretely and figuratively. To pierce is to perforate quickly, as by stabbing; it suggests the use of a sharp, pointed instrument which is impelled by force: to pierce the flesh with a knife; a scream pierces one's ears. Penetrate suggests a slow or difficult movement: No ordinary bullet can penetrate an elephant's hide; to penetrate the depths of one's ignorance.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• piercer
  noun
• pierceable
  adjective
• unpierceable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• piercing
  present
• pierced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pierce
  simple
• pierces
  simple
• have pierced
  perfect
• has pierced
  perfect
• am piercing
  progressive
• are piercing
  progressive
• is piercing
  progressive
• have been piercing
  perfect progressive
• has been piercing
  perfect progressive

Past

• pierced
  simple
• had pierced
  perfect
• was piercing
  progressive
• were piercing
  progressive
• had been piercing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pierce
  simple
• will have pierced
  perfect
• will be piercing
  progressive
• will have been piercing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pierce

1250–1300; Middle English percen < Old French perc ( i ) er < Vulgar Latin *pertūsiāre, verbal derivative of Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundere to bore a hole through, perforate, equivalent to per- per- + tundere to strike, beat

Explanation

If something pokes your hand, you will probably look at your hand to see if it pierced the skin. To pierce means to go right through, especially with something sharp. Pierce has several meanings, but they all involve something sharp penetrating something else, like scissors through a plastic bag or a pen through a pocket. You can also pierce confusion by saying something that makes everything clear. Another meaning has to do with sound. Much like a knife, a sharp sound can pierce the silence and a loud, high shriek will pierce your ears.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pierce Pierce pierces pierced piercing

Depending on the species, chelicerae can function as pincers or fangs that grip, pierce, or stab prey.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

I’m choosing to pierce through all the ugly noise that surrounds the tournament and remember what it’s like watching your first World Cup as a child.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

Some courts may be less willing to extend trust protections in such cases, though courts do not routinely pierce spendthrift protections simply because the underlying conduct of a beneficiary was wrongful.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026

Argentina enjoyed possession, but they struggled to pierce Scotland's line and new defence coach Lee Radford must have been delighted with the half-time score of 14-0, even if Juan Cruz Mallia had missed two penalties.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2025

Very gradually, like one instrument after another being tentatively rehearsed, beacons of color began to pierce the sky.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Katrina Pierce, from the Federation of Small Businesses in Lincolnshire, says it is more about the "policies, safeguarding and insurance costs" plus the new Employment Rights Act.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

"The Act has landed in earnest and so this is happening across the workforce, but you will see that concentrated in temporary or summer roles," Pierce said.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Private equity doesn’t currently back any of the three dominant firetruck makers, Rev Group, Pierce Manufacturing and Rosenbauer, which together control up to an estimated 80% of the market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Both Mildred Pierce and Emma Harte build their wealth by remaining clear-eyed as to what men can do for them financially as opposed to romantically.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

Jonathan Pierce would have been serious-minded, a bit of a loner, head often in a book.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Spitz’s deep reporting often pierces the mythology surrounding the band.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

As we talk, on occasion the screeching call of a toucan pierces the quiet, and miles above, the same giant black birds hover menacingly in groups, surveying everything below.

From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026

Spoken with earnest confusion, McDormand’s line pierces the heart.

From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026

Antonio Obá’s painting of a monk-like horseman at Mendes Wood DM, his copper-hued cloak glimmering under a turquoise sky while his gaze pierces the viewer, is a small master class in paint-handling and color theory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

By the time I walk in the cottage door, water permeates my bones and a pain pierces my thigh.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

They’ve come to this cesspool to find the villainous Krem, an unrecognizably vile Matthias Schoenaerts with a mug that’s been pierced all over like he face-planted into a pile of thumbtacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Archaeologists recently uncovered jewelry that included a pierced deer tooth and beads, all carbon dated to around 11,000 years ago.

From Science Daily ● May 20, 2026

“Her heart was pierced because of what she would see,” Wille said, in what struck me as a moment of restrained insight.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2026

Iran’s Riyadh attack pierced the tranquility of that leafy enclave, which houses most foreign embassies along with thousands of expats and Saudis, including top business executives, a few ministers and even some royals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

The bubbles were small, inconspicuous, and held a strange, unpalatable beauty when shafts of light pierced them and brightened his mouth with a briefly degraded spectrum of color.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

One piercing at Studs costs $40 before jewelry, according to its website.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Nine-year-old Rowan, meanwhile, touts its medical advisory board, its clinical piercing standard, and the fact that it hires licensed nurses as piercers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Havana Syndrome was first publicly reported in 2016, when US diplomats in Cuba reported getting sick and hearing piercing sounds at night.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Drills can be heard piercing the cement until someone shouts "Silence!" with a raised fist.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

These ballistic missiles followed an arcing trajectory, piercing the earth's atmosphere and falling to earth with the force of gravity; once launched, they could not be stopped.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau