penetrate

[ pen-i-treyt ]

/ ˈpɛn ɪˌtreɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR penetrate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pen·e·trat·ed, pen·e·trat·ing.

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.

to extend influence, usually peacefully, into the affairs of (another country).

verb (used without object), pen·e·trat·ed, pen·e·trat·ing.

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.

Nearby words

Origin of penetrate

1520–30; < Latin penetrātus (past participle of penetrāre), equivalent to penet-, variant stem of penitus deep down + -r- (probably by analogy with intus inside: intrāre to enter) + -ātus + -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR penetrate

4. fathom, discern. 6. touch.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR penetrate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspen·e·tra·tor, nounpre·pen·e·trate, verb (used with object), pre·pen·e·trat·ed, pre·pen·e·trat·ing.un·pen·e·trat·ed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See pierce.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for penetrate

He remains busy trying to penetrate the shield with something much smarter.
A Gift to the Jihadis: The Unseen Airport Security Threat|Clive Irving|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How secure could the border possibly be if 5-year-olds can penetrate it?
Didn't Obama Hear Oregon’s Warning Shot on Immigration?|Doug McIntyre|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The leads in Blue Is the Warmest Color scissor in a dozen different positions but we never once see them penetrate each other.
I Tried Cosmo’s Lesbian Sex Tips and They Were Terrible|Samantha Allen|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are some areas in the Bekaa Valley and Hermel where the government and the army have been unable to penetrate.
Hezbollah Profits From Hash as Syria Goes to Pot|Alberto Mucci|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He planned to use the C4 explosives to make shaped changes with which he could penetrate armored car doors.
Far-Right Texas Terrorist Planned Murder And Robbery Spree in the Name of ‘Liberty’|Caitlin Dickson|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They availed themselves of a very hard winter to penetrate into the land over the frozen water.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 5|Various
No face looked out from it; it was also impossible to penetrate into it.
Arundel|Edward Frederic Benson
Emerson looked at life in order to penetrate it; Hawthorne, in order to comprehend it, and assimilate it to his own nature.
The Life and Genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne|Frank Preston Stearns
Since the air molecules are continually striking the surface of the liquid, many of them penetrate it and become absorbed.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower
I shall do my best to entertain two callers charitable enough to penetrate a sere and yellow bachelor's quarters.
A Top-Floor Idyl|George van Schaick

British Dictionary definitions for penetrate

penetrate

/ (ˈpɛnɪˌtreɪt) /

verb

to find or force a way into or through (something); pierce; enter

to diffuse through (a substance); permeate

(tr) to see throughtheir 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 understoodhis face lit up as the new idea penetrated

Derived Forms

penetrable, adjectivepenetrability, nounpenetrably, adverbpenetrative, adjective

penetrator, noun

Word Origin for penetrate

C16: from Latin penetrāre; related to penitus inner, and penus the interior of a house

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for penetrate

penetrate

1520s, from Latin penetratus, past participle of penetrare "to put or get into, enter into," related to penitus "within, inmost," penus "innermost part of a temple, store of food," penates "household gods." Related: Penetrated; penetrating.