American English pronunciation

How to pronounce penetrating

IPA transcription: ['pɛnət,ɹeɪtɪŋ]

Hear “penetrating” pronounced

['pɛnət,ɹeɪtɪŋ]

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['pɛnət,ɹeɪtɪŋ]

Quality: 0.99

['pɛnət,ɹeɪtɪŋ]

Quality: 0.99

Verb

  • pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance

    “The bullet penetrated her chest”

  • come to understand

  • become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

    “It dawned on him that she had betrayed him”

    “she was penetrated with sorrow”

  • 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”

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

    “The student organization was infiltrated by a traitor”

  • make one's way deeper into or through

    “The hikers did not manage to penetrate the dense forest”

  • insert the penis into the vagina or anus of

    “Did the molester penetrate the child?”

Adjective

  • having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

    “an acute observer of politics and politicians”

    “incisive comments”

    “icy knifelike reasoning”

    “as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang”

    “penetrating insight”

    “frequent penetrative observations”

  • tending to penetrate; having the power of entering or piercing

    “a toxic penetrative spray applied to the surface”

    “a cold penetrating wind”

    “a penetrating odor”

Usage examples

  • A second and more penetrating glance and I had assembled the facts.
  • The first attempt at boosting penetrating power was the so-called 'reversed bullet'.
  • A second and more penetrating glance and I had assembled the facts.
  • "One minute," said the Voice, penetratingly, tremulous with self-control.
  • Nonpenetrating and penetrating cranial trauma can also be common causes of intracerebral hemorrhage.
  • Thus, the cocktail may have been named for its "penetrating" effects on the drinker.
  • A second and more penetrating glance and I had assembled the facts.
  • The release also permitted the analysis of structural response due to penetrating projectiles.
  • Penetrating deep into enemy-held territory, the fleet was subjected to extensive kamikaze attacks.
  • For the penetrating effect of knives, the production used collapsible blades to prevent injury.