puncture
Americannoun
-
punctures
plural
-
the act of piercing or perforating, as with a pointed instrument or object.
-
a hole or mark so made.
- Synonyms:
- perforation, rupture, break
-
Zoology. a small pointlike depression.
verb (used with object)
-
punctures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
punctured,
past participle, past
-
puncturing
present participle
-
to pierce or perforate, as with a pointed instrument.
to puncture leather with an awl.
-
to make (a hole, perforation, etc.) by piercing or perforating.
He punctured a row of holes in the cardboard.
-
to make a puncture in.
A piece of glass punctured the tire.
-
to reduce or diminish as if by piercing; damage; wound.
to puncture a person's pride.
-
to cause to collapse or disintegrate; spoil; ruin.
to puncture one's dream of success.
verb (used without object)
-
punctures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
punctured,
past participle, past
-
puncturing
present participle
noun
-
a small hole made by a sharp object
-
a perforation and loss of pressure in a pneumatic tyre, made by sharp stones, glass, etc
-
the act of puncturing or perforating
verb
-
(tr) to pierce (a hole) in (something) with a sharp object
-
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
-
(tr) to depreciate (a person's self-esteem, pomposity, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
puncturernoun
-
nonpuncturableadjective
-
puncturableadjective
-
puncturelessadjective
-
unpuncturedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
puncturesimple
-
puncturessimple
-
have puncturedperfect
-
has puncturedperfect
-
am puncturingprogressive
-
are puncturingprogressive
-
is puncturingprogressive
-
have been puncturingperfect progressive
-
has been puncturingperfect progressive
Past
-
puncturedsimple
-
had puncturedperfect
-
was puncturingprogressive
-
were puncturingprogressive
-
had been puncturingperfect progressive
Future
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”; see 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.
Vocabulary lists containing puncture
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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Mississippi Trial, 1955
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Schooled
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The incident could also puncture the space stocks bubble, judging by how investors were reacting ahead of Friday’s opening bell.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Still, it does puncture the social media myth that this was a rebel’s wild stunt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
Participants received doses of up to 70mg of zorevunersen through a lumbar puncture.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2026
But first, Atlantis Hospital referred the toddler to Euracare for pre-flight investigations, including an MRI and a spinal tap, or lumbar puncture.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026
He had come back safely, but he had had a small Warning on his return: a sudden painful puncture from what had seemed a tiny twig.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
Bites often leave punctures or furrows in bone, but disease, insects, weathering, and erosion can create similar features.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
In the new study, researchers examined several kinds of depressions, punctures, holes, and grooves that appeared to have been left by teeth.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
But Sobel’s second point punctures some of the excitement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
I have to do more blood work, or lumbar punctures, to rule out meningitis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Just over the external jugular vein there were two punctures, not large, but not wholesome-looking.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Then concerns over the strength of AI demand and encroaching Chinese competition punctured the semiconductor rally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Gilles Villeneuve's left rear wheel is barely hanging on to his Ferrari after he spun out of the lead in 1979 because of a punctured tyre.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Time had punctured the roof with 20 holes and whenever it rained, Baker would run around placing buckets under them and emptying them when they were full, like a game of Whac-A-Mole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Guidance came up short. … I think it punctured a lot of people’s belief that any company that might benefit from AI spending was effectively bulletproof,”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026
Her heart was punctured; she would become a hollow shell.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
That’s a program I would support, in addition to puncturing the bubble.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
AFP journalists saw devotees deliberately puncturing their skin with glass shards attached to a small wooden paddle to ensure their bleeding during the ritual, a way to atone for sins and seek miracles from God.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
The allegations against Cesar Chavez represent a definitive puncturing of the myth surrounding the civil rights icon and necessitate a comprehensive reckoning with how Latino communities elevated him despite warning signs of moral failings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
Burn, making his first appearance since breaking a rib and puncturing a lung, was even named man of the match after a colossal performance.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
Carmine is howling, his cries puncturing the stillness, and every time Dutchy moves, he gets jammed in the side.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
