penetration

American  

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

noun

1. the act or power of penetrating. 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

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

Etymology

Origin of penetration

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

Example Sentences

These modest purchases, say local retailers, wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago when logistics and digital-channel penetration were weak.

From Barron's

These modest purchases, say local retailers, wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago when logistics and digital-channel penetration were weak.

From Barron's

Smartphone market penetration in the kingdom stands at over 98 percent, while internet penetration stands at nearly 98 percent, both well above the global average, according to PwC.

From Barron's

“The state of internet penetration in China means the AI application layer has the potential to progress more quickly than in the rest of the world,” Bernstein said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr Whittaker said streaming was where the growth was for broadcasters - even though with established streamers "the penetration rates have started to level off in the past couple of years" in the UK.

From BBC

Related Words

• infiltration
• seepage