puncture

American  

[puhngk-cher] / ˈpʌŋk tʃər /

noun

1. the act of piercing or perforating, as with a pointed instrument or object.

2. a hole or mark so made.

   Synonyms:

   perforation, rupture, break

3. Zoology. a small pointlike depression.

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verb (used with object)

punctured, puncturing

1. to pierce or perforate, as with a pointed instrument.

   to puncture leather with an awl.

2. to make (a hole, perforation, etc.) by piercing or perforating.

   He punctured a row of holes in the cardboard.

3. to make a puncture in.

   A piece of glass punctured the tire.

4. to reduce or diminish as if by piercing; damage; wound.

   to puncture a person's pride.

5. to cause to collapse or disintegrate; spoil; ruin.

   to puncture one's dream of success.

verb (used without object)

punctured, puncturing

1. to become punctured.

   These tires do not puncture easily.

puncture British  

/ ˈpʌŋktʃə /

noun

1. a small hole made by a sharp object

2. a perforation and loss of pressure in a pneumatic tyre, made by sharp stones, glass, etc

3. the act of puncturing or perforating

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verb

1. (tr) to pierce (a hole) in (something) with a sharp object

2. to cause (something pressurized, esp a tyre) to lose pressure by piercing, or (of a tyre, etc) to be pierced and collapse in this way

3. (tr) to depreciate (a person's self-esteem, pomposity, etc)

Other Word Forms

• nonpuncturable
  adjective
• puncturable
  adjective
• punctureless
  adjective
• puncturer
  noun
• unpunctured
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of puncture

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin pūnctūra “a pricking,” from pūnct(us) “pierced” (past participle of pungere “to pierce”; see pungent) + -ūra -ure

Explanation

When you puncture something, you make a hole in it. Stick a pin in a balloon and you'll not only make kids cry, you'll also puncture the balloon. Use the verb puncture to describe poking a sharp object into something. You can call the hole you've made a puncture as well: get a big enough puncture in your car tire and you'll need to call for help. In Latin, punctus means "to prick or pierce." The hardest thing about puncture is knowing how to spell it — remember that there's a c in the middle, and you'll probably get it right.

Example Sentences

Puncture the word “pretentious” and out scuttles a bestiary of class anxieties; fears about getting above your station, and policing those suspected of trying to migrate from their social background.

From The Guardian • Feb. 9, 2016

The meeting, called by a local activist group called Puncture the Silence, was an effort to press beyond the squabbles and rivalries that have plagued the protest groups that emerged after the Rice shooting.

From Washington Post • Feb. 19, 2015

You wonder if a documentary might have been more powerful than this film; but then again, "Puncture" leaves its audience thinking, and that's more than a lot of movies can do.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2011

A well-made drama about a pair of young attorneys and a potentially explosive case, "Puncture" has the unusual problem of being almost too intriguing; its based-on-true-events story seems to cry out for documentary treatment.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2011

Localisation of Site for Introduction of Needle in Lumbar Puncture 338 184.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander

Related Words

• deflate
• penetrate
• perforate
• prick
• riddle
• rupture