penetrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
penetrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
penetrated,
past participle, past
-
penetrating
present participle
-
to pierce or pass into or through.
The bullet penetrated the wall. The fog lights penetrated the mist.
-
to enter the interior of.
to penetrate a forest.
-
to enter and diffuse itself through; permeate.
-
to arrive at the truth or meaning of; understand; comprehend.
to penetrate a mystery.
-
to obtain a share of (a market).
to penetrate the Canadian coffee market.
-
to affect or impress (the mind or feelings) deeply.
- Synonyms:
- touch
-
to extend influence, usually peacefully, into the affairs of (another country).
verb (used without object)
-
penetrates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
penetrated,
past participle, past
-
penetrating
present participle
-
to enter, reach, or pass through something, as by piercing.
We penetrated to the interior of the Kasbah.
-
to be diffused through something.
-
to understand or read the meaning of something.
-
to have a deep effect or impact on someone.
verb
-
to find or force a way into or through (something); pierce; enter
-
to diffuse through (a substance); permeate
-
(tr) to see through
their eyes could not penetrate the fog
-
(tr) (of a man) to insert the penis into the vagina of (a woman)
-
(tr) to grasp the meaning of (a principle, etc)
-
(intr) to be understood
his face lit up as the new idea penetrated
Synonym Usage
See pierce.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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penetrabilitynoun
-
penetratornoun
-
prepenetrateverb (used with object)
-
penetrableadjective
-
penetrativeadjective
-
unpenetratedadjective
-
penetrablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
penetratesimple
-
penetratessimple
-
have penetratedperfect
-
has penetratedperfect
-
am penetratingprogressive
-
are penetratingprogressive
-
is penetratingprogressive
-
have been penetratingperfect progressive
-
has been penetratingperfect progressive
Past
-
penetratedsimple
-
had penetratedperfect
-
was penetratingprogressive
-
were penetratingprogressive
-
had been penetratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of penetrate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin penetrātus “entered the interior of,” past participle of penetrāre “to enter the interior of,” from penet-, variant stem of penitus “deep down” + -āre, infinitive verb suffix, with the vowel change and addition of -r- probably by analogy with intus “inside,” intrāre “to enter” ( see enter ( def. ))
Explanation
To penetrate is to force into or pierce through. If the fog is thick as pea soup, your flashlight won’t penetrate it. If you stubbornly ignore good advice, people might say nothing can penetrate that thick skull of yours. We get penetrate from the Latin word penetrare, which combines penes ("within") and intrare ("to enter"). Penetrate crops up most often to describe entering or permeating. Blaring music penetrated every corner of the dorm and we wondered how anyone could study with that racket. Penetrate can also mean to decipher or understand: "Careful study allowed us to penetrate the mysteries of Pig Latin." Finally — no surprise, given its Latin roots — the word can be used to describe sexual intercourse.
Vocabulary lists containing penetrate
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Tuck Everlasting
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Esperanza Rising
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
These form where magnetic fields penetrate the material, creating small regions surrounded by circulating electrical currents.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
He said heavy rain could overwhelm drainage systems and penetrate walls, causing damp and erosion, while repeated cycles of wetting, drying, freezing and thawing could harm stonework.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Synthetic indigo, commonly used to dye bluejeans, can contain aniline, a manufacturing impurity that can slowly leach from clothing and penetrate skin, says Valenta.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Permafrost degradation may also weaken mountain slopes and allow water to penetrate deeper into fractures.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Then he plunged them into the snow and began to build a wall of snow up around the entrance, filling the gaping space till only a small hole was left for the wind to penetrate.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
The image penetrates deeply into the galaxy's center, revealing a sharply bent, ribbon-like jet structure and providing clues about the plasma's composition and motion.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2025
It’s rare anything penetrates the preternatural calm with which Watkins plays, but it was clear the superstar sophomore was pressing, in the throes of her worst slump yet at USC.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025
By being forced to conceal their feminist values, she argues women are being stripped of their ability to fight against gender inequality, which penetrates workplaces, politics and public life.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2025
Light barely penetrates a few meters below the surface, so satellites cannot see deeper seagrass patches.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 26, 2024
People talk to me, and I nod along, but absolutely nothing penetrates.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
The Scottish arm of Operation Venetic has resulted in more than 60 arrests since 2020 when the National Crime Agency penetrated a secret communications system used by criminals.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
In one fell swoop, The Beatles penetrated two more demographics.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
According to the research team, the comet's upper layers likely shielded the methane ice until solar heating penetrated deeper into the icy interior.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2026
“Their communications have certainly been penetrated — they cannot meet without being targeted by Israel or the United States,” he added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026
“Claudette’s agonized sobs penetrated the atmosphere of the courthouse,” wrote Jo Ann Robinson.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
It recorded levels of tiny particulates capable of penetrating the bloodstream and lungs, known as PM2.5, at 288 micrograms per cubic metre, vastly exceeding the World Health Organization's recommended average annual exposure of five micrograms.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
VENUS, by contrast, produces high-energy neutrons capable of penetrating deeper into large objects and generating detailed 3D images.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
With her penetrating serve and thunderous groundstrokes, Rybakina has a brand of first-strike tennis that can take the racquet out of anyone's hands.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Hinterhäuser’s penetrating and uncompromising vision is what has made the modern festival matter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
From the austerity and tranquility of her medieval world, the penetrating gaze of this legendary Sybil of a holy nun would exorcise the horrors which materialize before our eves in the name of television.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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