penetration

American  

[pen-i-trey-shuhn] / ˌpɛn ɪˈtreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or power of penetrating.

2. mental acuteness, discernment, or insight.

   a scholar of rare penetration.

   Synonyms:

   profundity, depth, discrimination, perception, understanding

3. the obtaining of a share of a market for some commodity or service.

4. the extension, usually peaceful, of the influence of one nation or culture into the affairs of another.

5. a military attack that penetrates into enemy territory.

6. Gunnery. the depth to which a projectile goes into the target.

7. the measure of relative depth of field of a telescope or microscope, especially a binocular microscope.

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penetration British  

/ ˌpɛnɪˈtreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of penetrating

2. the ability or power to penetrate

3. keen insight or perception

4. military an offensive manoeuvre that breaks through an enemy's defensive position

5. Also called: market penetration.  the proportion of the total number of potential purchasers of a product or service who either are aware of its existence or actually buy it

6. another name for depth of field

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prepenetration
  noun
• nonpenetration
  noun
• transpenetration
  noun
• self-penetration
  noun

Etymology

Origin of penetration

First recorded in 1595–1605, penetration is from the Late Latin word penetrātiōn- (stem of penetrātiō ). See penetrate, -ion

Explanation

Penetration refers to entering or making your way through something. It's also a deep insight. When something penetrates, it’s going through something else, so penetration is an example of this happening. You could talk about the penetration of a jacket by a knife, or the penetration of a fortress by an army. When a basketball team pierces the other team's defenses, it's called penetration. Also, in-depth perception or insight is called penetration. Just like physical penetration goes deep into something, mental penetration implies deep understanding of an idea or situation.

Example Sentences

Another tailwind will be a "healthy launch pipeline", says Nomura, which expects EV penetration in India's passenger vehicle market to reach 9% by 2030.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

The company attributed the increase primarily to strength in membership acquisition, retention and higher-tier membership penetration across both new and existing clubs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

But as the host of “The Colbert Report,” Colbert’s cultural penetration was deep, his fame already substantial.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Burbery further argues that Dante anticipated ideas connected to terminal velocity and crustal penetration, concepts tied to how extremely large objects behave when colliding with planets.

From Science Daily • May 11, 2026

“The bacteria in Will’s lungs are deeply colonized. Antibiotic penetration into lung tissue requires time for any drug.”

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• infiltration
• seepage