penetrate
verb
pen·e·trate
ˈpe-nə-ˌtrāt 
penetrated; penetrating
1
a
: to pass into or through
this route … penetrates the leading resort and lake areas—
American Guide Series: Minnesota
American Guide Series: MinnesotaOnly a dirt road penetrates the rough, wooded terrain.
b
: to enter by overcoming resistance : pierce
This bullet can penetrate armor.
c
: to gain entrance to
an apartment that I now penetrated for the first time—Osbert Lancaster
Osbert Lancaster2
a
: to see into or through
their keen eyes can penetrate the water to a depth of … forty feet—L. K. Porritt
L. K. Porritt
b
: to discover the inner contents or meaning of
a scientific secret which will eventually be penetrated by other countries—Vera M. Dean
Vera M. Dean3
: to affect profoundly with feeling
men may still be penetrated with awe by the divine righteousness—R. W. Dale
R. W. Dale4
: to diffuse through or into
the cold began to penetrate his bones—E. K. Gann
E. K. Gann1
a
: to pass, extend, pierce, or diffuse into or through something
fishes … which enter tidal rivers and penetrate almost to fresh water—J. L. B. Smith
J. L. B. Smith
b
: to pierce something with the eye or mind
strained his eyes to penetrate beyond the thick cloud of dust
insight that penetrates to the very heart of some … problem—W. F. Hambly
W. F. Hambly2
: to affect deeply the senses or feelings
the suggestion might penetrate deeply enough … to make her a good deal more wary—H. A. Overstreet
H. A. Overstreet
Examples of penetrate in a Sentence
These bullets can penetrate armor.
radiation penetrating the Earth's atmosphere
The bullet failed to penetrate.
The heat penetrated through the wall.
The roots of these plants have been known to penetrate to a depth of more than 15 feet.
My car's headlights couldn't penetrate the dense fog.
Recent Examples on the Web
When transiting this Mutable sign, the messenger planet is ready to come up for air (especially after penetrating through the surface in Scorpio) and jump headfirst into a world of new ideas and boundless possibilities.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Another theory posits that the wiggling of Alfvén waves, oscillations in the Sun’s magnetic field that penetrate into the corona and turn back on themselves, can also inject energy into the solar wind.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024
Ukrainian forces penetrated Russian defenses in August and seized a swath of Russian territory in the Kursk region — a gambit seen by many as a blow to Putin’s prestige.
—Matthew Bodner, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024
Nothing could penetrate this wall of coverage, no story important enough to push it out of headlines, no development so surprising that.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for penetrate 
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Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Another theory posits that the wiggling of Alfvén waves, oscillations in the Sun’s magnetic field that penetrate into the corona and turn back on themselves, can also inject energy into the solar wind.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024
Ukrainian forces penetrated Russian defenses in August and seized a swath of Russian territory in the Kursk region — a gambit seen by many as a blow to Putin’s prestige.
—Matthew Bodner, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024
Nothing could penetrate this wall of coverage, no story important enough to push it out of headlines, no development so surprising that.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for penetrate
Dictionary Entries Near penetrate
Cite this Entry
“Penetrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penetrate. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
penetrate
verb
pen·e·trate
ˈpen-ə-ˌtrāt
penetrated; penetrating
1
a
: to pass into or through
b
: to enter by piercing
2
: to come to understand
3
: to move deeply
Medical Definition
penetrate
verb
pen·e·trate
ˈpen-ə-ˌtrāt
penetrated; penetrating
1
: to pass into or through
enzymes that help the sperm penetrate the zona pellucida—Anna Maria Gillis
Anna Maria Gillis2
: to insert the penis into the vagina of in copulation
: to pass, extend, pierce, or diffuse into or through something
penetrating percutaneous nephroscopy or ureteroscopy—R. A. Riehle et al.
R. A. Riehle et al.Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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