pierce


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pierce

 (pîrs)
v. pierced, pierc·ing, pierc·es
v.tr.
1. To cut or pass through with or as if with a sharp instrument; stab or penetrate.
2. To make a hole or opening in; perforate.
3. To make a way through: The path pierced the wilderness.
4. To sound sharply through: His shout pierced the din.
5. To succeed in penetrating (something) with the eyes or the intellect: Large glowing yellow eyes pierced the darkness.
v.intr.
To penetrate into or through something: The rocket pierced through space.

[Middle English percen, from Old French percer, probably from Vulgar Latin *pertūsiāre, from Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundere, to bore through : per-, per- + tundere, to beat.]

pierc′er n.
pierc′ing adj.
pierc′ing·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pierce

(pɪəs)
vb (mainly tr)
1. to form or cut (a hole) in (something) with or as if with a sharp instrument
2. to thrust into or penetrate sharply or violently: the thorn pierced his heel.
3. to force (a way, route, etc) through (something)
4. (of light) to shine through or penetrate (darkness)
5. (also intr) to discover or realize (something) suddenly or (of an idea) to become suddenly apparent
6. (of sounds or cries) to sound sharply through (the silence)
7. to move or affect (a person's emotions, bodily feelings, etc) deeply or sharply: the cold pierced their bones.
8. (intr) to penetrate or be capable of penetrating: piercing cold.
[C13 percen, from Old French percer, ultimately from Latin pertundere, from per through + tundere to strike]
ˈpierceable adj
ˈpiercer n

Pierce

(pɪəs)
n
(Biography) Franklin. 1804–69, US statesman; 14th president of the US (1853–57)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pierce

(pɪərs)

v. pierced, pierc•ing. v.t.
1. to penetrate (something), as a pointed object does.
2. to make a hole or opening in; perforate.
3. to make (a hole or opening) by or as if by boring or perforating.
4. to force or make a way into or through: a road that pierces the jungle.
5. to penetrate with the eye or mind.
6. to affect sharply with some sensation or emotion, as pain.
7. to sound sharply through (the air, stillness, etc.), as a cry.
v.i.
8. to force or make a way into or through something.
[1250–1300; Middle English percen < Old French perc(i)er < Vulgar Latin *pertūsiāre, v. derivative of Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundere to bore a hole through, perforate =per- per- + tundere to strike, beat]
pierce′a•ble, adj.
pierc′er, n.

Pierce

(pɪərs)

n.
Franklin, 1804–69, 14th president of the U.S. 1853–57.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

pierce

  • sashimi - Thinly sliced raw fish with a sauce, it is a compound formed from sashi, "pierce," and mi, "flesh."
  • point - "Sharp end" is the etymological notion underlying point, from Latin pungere, "pierce, prick."
  • stake - Meaning "post," it comes from a Germanic base meaning "pierce, prick."
  • stick - Comes from Germanic meaning "be sharp, pierce, prick"; the piercing notion led to "becoming fixed in something" and then "adhering."
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

pierce


Past participle: pierced
Gerund: piercing

Imperative
pierce
pierce
Present
I pierce
you pierce
he/she/it pierces
we pierce
you pierce
they pierce
Preterite
I pierced
you pierced
he/she/it pierced
we pierced
you pierced
they pierced
Present Continuous
I am piercing
you are piercing
he/she/it is piercing
we are piercing
you are piercing
they are piercing
Present Perfect
I have pierced
you have pierced
he/she/it has pierced
we have pierced
you have pierced
they have pierced
Past Continuous
I was piercing
you were piercing
he/she/it was piercing
we were piercing
you were piercing
they were piercing
Past Perfect
I had pierced
you had pierced
he/she/it had pierced
we had pierced
you had pierced
they had pierced
Future
I will pierce
you will pierce
he/she/it will pierce
we will pierce
you will pierce
they will pierce
Future Perfect
I will have pierced
you will have pierced
he/she/it will have pierced
we will have pierced
you will have pierced
they will have pierced
Future Continuous
I will be piercing
you will be piercing
he/she/it will be piercing
we will be piercing
you will be piercing
they will be piercing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been piercing
you have been piercing
he/she/it has been piercing
we have been piercing
you have been piercing
they have been piercing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been piercing
you will have been piercing
he/she/it will have been piercing
we will have been piercing
you will have been piercing
they will have been piercing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been piercing
you had been piercing
he/she/it had been piercing
we had been piercing
you had been piercing
they had been piercing
Conditional
I would pierce
you would pierce
he/she/it would pierce
we would pierce
you would pierce
they would pierce
Past Conditional
I would have pierced
you would have pierced
he/she/it would have pierced
we would have pierced
you would have pierced
they would have pierced
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.pierce - 14th President of the United States (1804-1869)Pierce - 14th President of the United States (1804-1869)
Verb1.pierce - cut or make a way through; "the knife cut through the flesh"; "The path pierced the jungle"; "Light pierced through the forest"
penetrate, perforate - pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; "The bullet penetrated her chest"
pick, break up - attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example; "Pick open the ice"
2.pierce - move or affect (a person's emotions or bodily feelings) deeply or sharply; "The cold pierced her bones"; "Her words pierced the students"
impress, strike, affect, move - have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; "This child impressed me as unusually mature"; "This behavior struck me as odd"
3.pierce - sound sharply or shrilly; "The scream pierced the night"
sound - give off a certain sound or sounds; "This record sounds scratchy"
4.pierce - penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument
penetrate, perforate - pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; "The bullet penetrated her chest"
stick - pierce or penetrate or puncture with something pointed; "He stuck the needle into his finger"
stick - pierce with a thrust using a pointed instrument; "he stuck the cloth with the needle"
peg - pierce with a wooden pin or knock or thrust a wooden pin into
center punch - make a small hole in something as a guide for a drill
empale, impale, spike, transfix - pierce with a sharp stake or point; "impale a shrimp on a skewer"
horn, tusk - stab or pierce with a horn or tusk; "the rhino horned the explorer"
gore - wound by piercing with a sharp or penetrating object or instrument
lance - pierce with a lance, as in a knights' fight
5.pierce - make a hole into; "The needle pierced her flesh"
penetrate, perforate - pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance; "The bullet penetrated her chest"
poke - make a hole by poking
puncture - pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into; "puncture a tire"
riddle - pierce with many holes; "The bullets riddled his body"
prick, prickle - make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn; "The nurse pricked my finger to get a small blood sample"
bite - penetrate or cut, as with a knife; "The fork bit into the surface"
perforate, punch - make a hole into or between, as for ease of separation; "perforate the sheets of paper"
sting, bite, prick - deliver a sting to; "A bee stung my arm yesterday"
tap - pierce in order to draw a liquid from; "tap a maple tree for its syrup"; "tap a keg of beer"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

pierce

verb
1. penetrate, stab, spike, enter, bore, probe, drill, run through, lance, puncture, prick, transfix, stick into, perforate, impale Pierce the skin of the potato with a fork.
3. hurt, cut, wound, strike, touch, affect, pain, move, excite, stir, thrill, sting, rouse, cut to the quick Her words pierced Lydia's heart like an arrow.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

pierce

verb
1. To penetrate with a sharp edge:
2. To make a hole or other opening in:
3. To pass into or through by overcoming resistance:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
propíchnoutprobodnout
gennembore
lävistää
probosti
átlyukasztbehatol
stinga gat ástinga í
穴をあける
구멍을 뚫다
padaryti skylęperdurtiperskrostišaižumasskvarbiai
izdurtizdurtiesizlauzties cauriizurbtizurbties
prebosti
tränga igenom
เจาะ
delmekyarıp içine girmek
xuyên thủng

pierce

[pɪəs] VT (= puncture) → perforar; (= go right through) → atravesar, traspasar; (= make hole in) → agujerear (fig) [sound] → desgarrar, penetrar
the broken rib pierced his lungla costilla rota le perforó el pulmón
the thorn pierced his heella espina se le clavó en el talón
the dagger pierced her heart/the armourel puñal le atravesó el corazón/atravesó la armadura
to pierce a hole in sthhacer un agujero en algo
to have one's ears piercedhacerse los agujeros de las orejas
a nail pierced the tyreun clavo pinchó el neumático
a cry pierced the silenceun grito desgarró or penetró el silencio
a light pierced the darknessuna luz hendió la oscuridad
the cold pierced their bonesel frío les penetraba hasta los huesos
the news pierced him to the heartla noticia le hirió en el alma
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

pierce

[ˈpɪərs] vt [+ skin] → percer; [+ chest] → transpercer
to have one's ears pierced → se faire percer les oreilles
She's going to have her ears pierced → Elle va se faire percer les oreilles.
to pierce a hole in sth → percer un trou dans qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

pierce

vtdurchstechen; (knife, spear) → durchstoßen, durchbohren; (bullet) → durchbohren; (fig: sound, coldness etc) → durchdringen; to pierce a hole in somethingetw durchstechen; to have or get one’s ears/nose piercedsich (dat)die Ohren/Nase durchstechen lassen; to pierce something through (and through) (lit, fig)etw durchbohren; the news pierced him to the heartdie Nachricht traf ihn bis ins Herz
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

pierce

[pɪəs] vt (gen) → bucare, forare; (subj, cold, wind) → penetrare; (shriek, light) → squarciare; (arrow) → trafiggere
to have one's ears pierced → farsi fare i buchi per gli orecchini
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

pierce

(piəs) verb
1. (of pointed objects) to go into or through (something). The arrow pierced his arm; A sudden light pierced the darkness.
2. to make a hole in or through (something) with a pointed object. Pierce the lid before removing it from the jar.
ˈpiercing adjective
1. loud; shrill. a piercing scream.
2. (of cold weather, winds etc) sharp; intense. a piercing wind; piercing cold.
3. looking intently or sharply as though able to see through things. piercing eyes; a piercing glance.
ˈpiercingly adverb
ˈpiercingness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

pierce

يَخْرِق propíchnout gennembore durchstechen διατρυπώ agujerear lävistää percer probosti perforare 穴をあける 구멍을 뚫다 doordringen gjennomhulle przebić furar прокалывать tränga igenom เจาะ delmek xuyên thủng 刺穿
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

pierce

v. agujerear, perforar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

pierce

vt perforar
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Then she added with a pitiless expression, well aware that she was about to pierce the priest's heart with thousands of red-hot irons,--
Asteropaeus failed with both his spears, for he could use both hands alike; with the one spear he struck Achilles' shield, but did not pierce it, for the layer of gold, gift of the god, stayed the point; with the other spear he grazed the elbow of Achilles' right arm drawing dark blood, but the spear itself went by him and fixed itself in the ground, foiled of its bloody banquet.
As he spoke he struck her on the terrible tasselled aegis--so terrible that not even can Jove's lightning pierce it.
As he spoke his strong hand hurled his javelin from him, and the spear struck Achilles on the leg beneath the knee; the greave of newly wrought tin rang loudly, but the spear recoiled from the body of him whom it had struck, and did not pierce it, for the gods gift stayed it.
Heaven grant that the judges who rob you of the first prize- that Phoebus may pierce them with his arrows, and the Muses never cross the thresholds of their doors.
The lovely maid, she pierces now the wall; Heart-pierced by her young Pyramus doth lie; And Love spreads wing from Cyprus isle to fly, A chink to view so wondrous great and small.
"May it please your Majesty, I have here a formula for constructing armour-plating which no gun can pierce. If these plates are adopted in the Royal Navy our warships will be invulnerable, and therefore invincible.
"And here," said the Ingenious Patriot, pulling another paper from another pocket, "are the working plans of a gun that I have invented, which will pierce that armour.
It will have the proportions determined by the officers of the Shannon, the instrument required by the perforation of the Scotia, and the power necessary to pierce the hull of the steamer.
Others have been drawn out, not without trouble, from the bottoms of ships, which they had pierced through and through, as a gimlet pierces a barrel.
With the spear that pierced thy breast, Unandi, shall the breast of Chaka be also pierced, and, ye wives and children of Mopo, the hand that pierces shall be the hand of Mopo.
In the words of the Supreme Court in Pierce, 15 has a "distinctive knowledge [and] specialized skill needful for the litigation in question," consisting of Ins knowledge and experience as a former IRS agent and attorney on the assessment and enforcement of responsible person tax liabilities, as well as the trial of such a case in Federal court, extending beyond even "all extraordinary level of the general lawyerly knowledge and ability useful in all litigation" (Pierce, 487 U.S.