Meaning of penetrate in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈpɛnəˌtreɪt/

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  1. Verb

    penetrate

    Etymology

    mid 16th century: from Latin penetrat-‘placed or gone into’, from the verb penetrare; related to penitus‘inner’

    Definitions

    1. pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance

    Examples

    • « The bullet penetrated her chest »

    Derived terms

  2. 2. come to understand

    Derived terms

  3. 3. become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

    Examples

    • « It dawned on him that she had betrayed him »
    • « she was penetrated with sorrow »
  4. 4. enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members

    Examples

    • « The student organization was infiltrated by a traitor »

    Derived terms

  5. 5. make one's way deeper into ar through

    Examples

    • « The hikers did not manage to penetrate the dense forest »

    Derived terms

  6. 6. insert the penis into the vagina or anus of

    Examples

    • « Did the molester penetrate the child? »

    Derived terms

  7. 7. spread or diffuse through

    Examples

    • « An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration »
    • « music penetrated the entire building »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « Don't you see what's at stake here? The ultimate aim of all science to penetrate the unknown. Do you realize we know less about the earth we live on than about the stars and the galaxies of outer space? The greatest mystery is right here, right under our feet. »
    Walter Reisch
  • « To penetrate and dissipate these clouds of darkness, the general mind must be strengthened by education. »
    Thomas Jefferson
  • « Poetry may make us from time to time a little more aware of the deeper, unnamed feelings which form the substratum of our being, to which we rarely penetrate for our lives are mostly a constant evasion of ourselves. »
    T. S. Eliot
  • « I strongly support the call to greatly expand our human intelligence capability to penetrate al Qaeda and gather critical intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks on our homeland. »
    Jim Ramstad
  • « Our dreams are a second life. I have never been able to penetrate without a shudder those ivory or horned gates which separate us from the invisible world. »
    Gerard De Nerval

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