puncture
Americannoun
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the act of piercing or perforating, as with a pointed instrument or object.
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a hole or mark so made.
- Synonyms:
- perforation, rupture, break
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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.
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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
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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.
The word grandparent punctured his heart, but he powered through.
From Literature
Her parents thought it could be sepsis, but after being rushed back to hospital, a lumbar puncture confirmed she had MenB.
From BBC
Because they travel at 17,500 miles an hour, Mr. Ariosto writes, they can “puncture a space suit or damage a satellite.”
After visiting an optician who identified a problem with his optic nerve and referred him to a neurologist, George received an MRI and lumbar puncture which confirmed his MS diagnosis in March 2022.
From BBC
In any event, the myth has been punctured.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
