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.

---

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

---

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

That represents an estimated 3.8% penetration of the global smartphone user base.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beijing’s “AI Plus” blueprint mandates a nationwide integration of AI to catalyze “new quality productive forces,” targeting a 70% penetration rate across priority sectors by 2027.

From MarketWatch

“Early anecdotal evidence on budget penetration and new advertiser adoption appears encouraging,” Coolbrith wrote.

From Barron's

International markets have been a major growth driver for Monster, particularly in regions where energy-drink penetration remains relatively low.

From Barron's

And to make things interesting, they pitted Artemis against real-world professional hackers, known as penetration testers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• infiltration
• seepage