Definitions for penetrate
ˈpɛn ɪˌtreɪtpen·e·trate

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. penetrate, perforateverb

   pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance

   "The bullet penetrated her chest"

2. penetrate, fathom, bottomverb

   come to understand

3. click, get through, dawn, come home, get across, sink in, penetrate, fall into placeverb

   become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

   "It dawned on him that she had betrayed him"; "she was penetrated with sorrow"

4. infiltrate, penetrateverb

   enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members

   "The student organization was infiltrated by a traitor"

5. penetrateverb

   make one's way deeper into or through

   "The hikers did not manage to penetrate the dense forest"

6. penetrateverb

   insert the penis into the vagina or anus of

   "Did the molester penetrate the child?"

7. permeate, pervade, penetrate, interpenetrate, diffuse, imbue, riddleverb

   spread or diffuse through

   "An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration"; "music penetrated the entire building"; "His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. penetrateverb

   Manage to enter into.

2. penetrateverb

   To achieve understanding despite (some obstacle thereto).

   I could not penetrate Burke's opaque rhetoric.

3. penetrateverb

   To insert a penis into an opening, such as a vagina.

4. Etymology: From penetratus, past participle of, from + (as in intrare, from).

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To PENETRATEverb

   Etymology: penetro, Lat. penetrer, Fr.

   1. To pierce; to enter beyond the surface; to make way into a body.

   Marrow is, of all other oily substances, the most penetrating. John Arbuthnot, on Aliments.

   2. To affect the mind.3. To reach the meaning.

2. To Penetrateverb

   To make way.

   There shall we clearly see the uses of these things, which here were too subtile for us to penetrate. John Ray.

   If we reached no farther than metaphor, we rather fancy than know, and are not yet penetrated into the inside and reality of the thing. John Locke.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Penetrateverb

   to enter into; to make way into the interior of; to effect an entrance into; to pierce; as, light penetrates darkness

2. Penetrateverb

   to affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to touch with feeling; to make sensible; to move deeply; as, to penetrate one's heart with pity

3. Penetrateverb

   to pierce into by the mind; to arrive at the inner contents or meaning of, as of a mysterious or difficult subject; to comprehend; to understand

4. Penetrateverb

   to pass; to make way; to pierce. Also used figuratively

5. Etymology: [L. penetratus, p. p. of penetrare to penetrate; akin to penitus inward, inwardly, and perh. to pens with, in the power of, penus store of food, innermost part of a temple.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Penetrate

   pen′ē-trāt, v.t. to thrust into the inside: to pierce into: to affect the mind or feelings: to enter and to fill: to understand: to find out.—v.i. to make way: to pass inwards.—ns. Penetrabil′ity, Pen′etrableness.—adj. Pen′etrable, that may be penetrated or pierced by another body: capable of having impressions made upon the mind.—adv. Pen′etrably, so as to be penetrated—n.pl. Penetrā′lia, the inmost parts of a building: secrets: mysteries.—ns. Pen′etrance, Pen′etrancy, the quality of being penetrant.—adjs. Pen′etrant, subtle, penetrating; Pen′etrating, piercing or entering: sharp: subtle: acute: discerning.—adv. Pen′etratingly.—n. Penetrā′tion, the act or power of penetrating or entering: acuteness: discernment: the space-penetrating power of a telescope.—adj. Pen′etrative, tending to penetrate: piercing: sagacious: affecting the mind.—adv. Pen′etratively, in a penetrative manner.—n. Pen′etrativeness, the quality of being penetrative: penetrative power. [L. penetrāre, -ātum—penes, within.]

Matched Categories

1. • Advance
   • Enter
   • Join

British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'penetrate' in Verbs Frequency: #985

How to pronounce penetrate?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say penetrate in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of penetrate in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of penetrate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of penetrate in a Sentence

1. Isaac Watts:

   Do not hover always on the surface of things, nor take up suddenly, with mere appearances but penetrate into the depth of matters, as far as your time and circumstances allow, especially in those things which relate to your profession.

2. Anne Marie Mahon:

   If the fibers are there, it is possible that the nanoparticles are there too that we ca n’t measure, once they are in the nanometer range they can really penetrate a cell and that means they can penetrate organs, and that would be worrying.

3. Isaac Watts:

   Do not hover always on the surface of things, nor take up suddenly, with mere appearances; but penetrate into the depth of matters, as far as your time and circumstances allow, especially in those things which relate to your profession.

4. New York Fed:

   To date, there is no evidence of any attempt to penetrate Federal Reserve systems in connection with the payments in question, and there is no evidence that any Fed systems were compromised.

5. Peter Petri:

   I don't think we really understand yet that, by striking at the Chinese companies that stand out because they try to penetrate international markets, we're essentially saying to the world maybe these internet markets are not international.

Popularity rank by frequency of use