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.
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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
-
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:
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
If inhaled, some of these extremely small particles can penetrate deep into the lungs.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 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
Our own attempts to penetrate toward the middle have been modest indeed.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Laboratory tests showed the peptide is stable, penetrates brain-like cells, and restores movement while reducing protein deposits in a worm model of Parkinson's.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2025
He’s been drilling holes in the concrete walls with the large red contraption, which comes with a small attached vacuum that sucks up concrete dust as it penetrates the wall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 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
He likens the brain to a leaky bucket, where the water level is the amount of dye that penetrates it.
From Science Magazine ● May 24, 2024
The windows are so thick with grime that almost no light penetrates them.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Over seven days, the gas penetrated 15 mm into the material.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
In one fell swoop, The Beatles penetrated two more demographics.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
His apparatus ultimately penetrated U.S. intelligence and diplomatic circles through some of Cuba’s most successful espionage operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
It's even penetrated some of the moss cells.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Nearly two weeks later, a laborer who had been in the station discovered that the bullet had penetrated his work kit and fallen inside it.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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
The U.S. already has the heavy oil it needs to meet diesel demand, and Venezuela will have little chance penetrating the U.S. market as long as cost of carry weighs heavily in Canada’s favor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Shadow suddenly was aware of a mild but unpleasantly penetrating, pungent, meaty smell.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
