Synonyms

penetrate

American

[pen-i-treyt] / ˈpɛn ɪˌtreɪt /

verb (used with object)

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.

Synonyms:

discern, fathom
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)

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.

penetrate British

/ ˈpɛnɪˌtreɪt /

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

"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

Synonym Usage

See pierce.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing penetrate

"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Tuck Everlasting

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Esperanza Rising

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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:

penetrate penetrates penetrated penetrating

They also work at a low frequency and are able to penetrate buildings and elevators and particularly hospitals - which can have thickened walls to protect people from X-rays and other radiation.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Davidson’s Luria agreed that Apple’s strong global brand should still help it penetrate the crowded budget-laptop market well beyond the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026

They were developed by the Army to penetrate a steel helmet from a faraway distance.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

It’s visiting elements that can penetrate your soul and stay with you and inspire you or push buttons or make you angry or make you happy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The moon shone down with what felt like merciless force, but it was unable to penetrate the canopy of the leaves.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

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

Mr Dorn said that before leaving their home, he had moved his electronics up to their loft, hoping that even if seawater penetrates the building it would not reach the rafters.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2025

Light barely penetrates a few meters below the surface, so satellites cannot see deeper seagrass patches.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 26, 2024

Potholes occur when water penetrates the surface of the road and affects the underlying base material, said Jennifer De Prez, a city spokesperson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2024

The room dark, except for the thin line of yellow light from the door ajar that penetrates the darkness to join both worlds.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

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

The sequel has performed particularly well in smaller cities including Jinan, demonstrating just how deeply it has penetrated Chinese culture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

It was better to wait until their plots had been penetrated.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Hinterhäuser’s penetrating and uncompromising vision is what has made the modern festival matter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Companies are boosting their usage of AI, with the technology now penetrating one in five U.S. businesses, per the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

The long-range Ukrainian drones now penetrating deep inside the country.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

Nothing is more sublime than transitioning from Jimin’s penetrating vocals of “You know how we do!” on “2.0” directly to the deep reverberations of the ancient bell that soothe and reset.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

It was a penetrating glare, and Harry had the impression that Moody was sizing him up, wondering whether to answer or not, or how much to tell him.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023