puncture
Americannoun
-
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)
-
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)
noun
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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
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(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
- 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
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.
Yet the away fans were loudest during a first half in which their team led to puncture the party atmosphere.
From BBC
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.
Empirical facts have the power to puncture partisan echo chambers and other closed-off belief systems.
From Salon
It punctured a little hole in the paper, and a single word came alive with that familiar golden script.
From Literature
The 27-year-old from Las Vegas will be key to puncturing Seattle's formidable defense.
From Barron's
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.
