Pierce (Verb)

Meaning ¹

Move or affect (a person's emotions or bodily feelings) deeply or sharply; "The cold pierced her bones"; "Her words pierced the students".

Classification

Verbs of feeling.

Examples

• The sad news pierced her heart like a razor-sharp knife.
• The tragic story of the orphaned child pierced the hearts of everyone in the room.
• Her words pierced the silence and suddenly filled the air with an intense emotion.
• The scathing criticism pierced his confidence and left him feeling defeated.
• Her painful memories pierced her soul, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

Hypernyms

• Impress
• Strike
• Move

Meaning ²

Penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument.

Classification

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.

Examples

• The sharp knife was able to pierce the thick plastic with ease.
• Her eyes seemed to pierce through the darkness as she walked alone at night.
• The doctor had to pierce the patient's skin with a needle to administer the shot.
• The arrow was able to pierce the metal armor and hit its target.
• The bullet was designed to pierce through solid objects without losing its velocity.

Synonyms

• Thrust

Hypernyms

• Perforate

Hyponyms

• Impale
• Spike
• Empale
• Tusk

Meaning ³

Make a hole into; "The needle pierced her flesh".

Classification

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.

Examples

• The thorn from the rose bush pierced her finger, drawing a small drop of blood.
• The bullet pierced the window, shattering it into a thousand pieces.
• The sharp point of the pencil pierced the paper, creating a small hole.
• A sharp rock protruded from the ground and pierced the tire, causing a flat.
• The tip of the knitting needle pierced her hand, causing her to yelp in pain.

Hypernyms

• Perforate

Hyponyms

• Prick
• Perforate
• Bite

Meaning ⁴

Cut or make a way through; "the knife cut through the flesh"; "The path pierced the jungle"; "Light pierced through the forest".

Classification

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.

Examples

• A sharp ray of sunlight pierced through the blinds and illuminated the room.
• The sound of sirens pierced the quiet of the night.
• The explorer's machete pierced the dense underbrush as he journeyed deeper.
• A narrow beam of light pierced the darkness of the abandoned cave.
• A faint ray of moonlight pierced the veil of clouds.

Hypernyms

• Perforate

Hyponyms

• Break Up

Meaning ⁵

Sound sharply or shrilly; "The scream pierced the night".

Classification

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling.

Examples

• The car alarm pierced the air with an ear-piercing shriek that startled everyone within a block.
• A sharp whistle pierced the crowd's chatter as the referee signaled the start of the game.
• The wail of sirens pierced the darkness as the ambulances rushed past.
• The shrill cry of the seagull pierced the serenity of the ocean shore.
• A blood-curdling scream pierced the silence of the abandoned mansion, sending chills down the spines of the explorers.