penetration

[ pen-i-trey-shuhn ]
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noun
  1. the act or power of penetrating.

  2. mental acuteness, discernment, or insight: a scholar of rare penetration.

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

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

  3. a military attack that penetrates into enemy territory.

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

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

Origin of penetration

1
First recorded in 1595–1605, penetration is from the Late Latin word penetrātiōn- (stem of penetrātiō). See penetrate, -ion

Other words for penetration

Other words from penetration

  • non·pen·e·tra·tion, noun
  • pre·pen·e·tra·tion, noun
  • self-pen·e·tra·tion, noun
  • trans·pen·e·tra·tion, noun

Words Nearby penetration

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use penetration in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for penetration

penetration

/ (ˌpɛnɪˈtreɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or an instance of penetrating

  2. the ability or power to penetrate

  1. keen insight or perception

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

  3. 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

  4. another name for depth of field

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