puncture

American  

[puhngk-cher] / ˈpʌŋk tʃər /

noun

1. the act of piercing or perforating, as with a pointed instrument or object.

2. a hole or mark so made.

   Synonyms:

   perforation, rupture, break

3. Zoology. a small pointlike depression.

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verb (used with object)

punctured, puncturing

1. to pierce or perforate, as with a pointed instrument.

   to puncture leather with an awl.

2. to make (a hole, perforation, etc.) by piercing or perforating.

   He punctured a row of holes in the cardboard.

3. to make a puncture in.

   A piece of glass punctured the tire.

4. to reduce or diminish as if by piercing; damage; wound.

   to puncture a person's pride.

5. to cause to collapse or disintegrate; spoil; ruin.

   to puncture one's dream of success.

verb (used without object)

punctured, puncturing

1. to become punctured.

   These tires do not puncture easily.

puncture British  

/ ˈpʌŋktʃə /

noun

1. a small hole made by a sharp object

2. a perforation and loss of pressure in a pneumatic tyre, made by sharp stones, glass, etc

3. the act of puncturing or perforating

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verb

1. (tr) to pierce (a hole) in (something) with a sharp object

2. to cause (something pressurized, esp a tyre) to lose pressure by piercing, or (of a tyre, etc) to be pierced and collapse in this way

3. (tr) to depreciate (a person's self-esteem, pomposity, etc)

Other Word Forms

• nonpuncturable adjective
• puncturable adjective
• punctureless adjective
• puncturer noun
• unpunctured adjective

Etymology

Origin of puncture

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin pūnctūra “a pricking,” from pūnct(us) “pierced” (past participle of pungere “to pierce”; pungent ) + -ūra -ure

Explanation

When you puncture something, you make a hole in it. Stick a pin in a balloon and you'll not only make kids cry, you'll also puncture the balloon. Use the verb puncture to describe poking a sharp object into something. You can call the hole you've made a puncture as well: get a big enough puncture in your car tire and you'll need to call for help. In Latin, punctus means "to prick or pierce." The hardest thing about puncture is knowing how to spell it — remember that there's a c in the middle, and you'll probably get it right.

Example Sentences

Participants received doses of up to 70mg of zorevunersen through a lumbar puncture.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

Yet the away fans were loudest during a first half in which their team led to puncture the party atmosphere.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

A little more than a year ago Shiffrin was recovering from a surgery to repair a puncture in her abdomen after a crash in Vermont.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Empirical facts have the power to puncture partisan echo chambers and other closed-off belief systems.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026

She found the puncture with redness starting from it already.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• deflate
• penetrate
• perforate
• prick
• riddle
• rupture