Meaning

To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce..

Definitions by Sense

1. To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.
2. (figuratively) To achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.
3. To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to move deeply.
4. To infiltrate an enemy to gather intelligence.
5. To insert the penis into an orifice, such as a vagina, mouth, or anus.
6. (chess) To move a piece past the defending pieces of one's opponent.

Example Sentences

Light penetrates darkness.

He takes the prepared charcoal used by artists, brings it to a white heat, and suddenly plunges it in a bath of mercury, of which the globules instantly penetrate the pores of charcoal, and may be said to metallize it.

The native-born and the "naturalised" locomotives have been giving way to the standardised types, of which the L.M.S.R. class "5" 4-6-0 has led the way and has penetrated the furthest.

Considerable interest has developed within the defense community during recent years in weapons that are capable of penetrating some distance into the earth before detonating. […] To be generally effective, earth penetrating weapons (EPW) must be capable of penetrating various geologic targets, ranging from soil to rock, without producing critical damage to the payload.

and they, ... they .... fly though space, and they penetrate the atmosphere[…]after an amazing nine-month journey

Our results also identified the causative mutation of polydactylous Silkie was not exist in other nonpolydactyly chickens, suggesting that SNP of polydactyly in Silkie has fully penetrated all other indigenous Chinese chicken breeds.

Fire ants circumvented the problem of an ineffective sting by having an unusual and highly effective venom that when daubed or sprayed on other ants penetrates their waxy protective integumental barrier and kills or disables them.

I could not penetrate Burke's opaque rhetoric.

Word Forms

• penetrates
• penetrating
• penetrated

Synonyms for penetrate

Related Words

When Should You Use Penetrate?

Use penetrate when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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