pierce

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb pierce differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pierce are enter, penetrate, and probe. While all these words mean "to make way into something," pierce means an entering or cutting through with a sharp pointed instrument.

pierced the boil with a lancet

When might enter be a better fit than pierce?

While the synonyms enter and pierce are close in meaning, enter is the most general of these and may imply either going in or forcing a way in.

entered the city in triumph

When is penetrate a more appropriate choice than pierce?

While in some cases nearly identical to pierce, penetrate carries a strong implication of an impelling force or compelling power that achieves entrance.

the enemy penetrated the fortress

Where would probe be a reasonable alternative to pierce?

The synonyms probe and pierce are sometimes interchangeable, but probe implies penetration to investigate or explore something hidden from sight or knowledge.

probed the depths of the sea

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pierce Smith brought them even closer an inning later, piercing All-Star reliever Randy Rodriguez’s armor for a run on a single up the middle. Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 12 July 2025 With piercing honesty and raw emotion, Jean Smart delivers a powerful monologue in Call Me Izzy, a new play written by Jamie Wax and directed by Sarna Lapine. H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025 The hot nights pierced with cold decisions on young men’s futures. Devon Henderson, Oc Register, 6 July 2025 These are piercing, sucking feeders that can reduce plant vigor and lead to some leaf decline. Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for pierce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pierce
Verb
  • This product can be helpful for removing rust from hidden areas and crevices that are hard to penetrate.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 July 2025
  • However, when the $540 ceiling was being penetrated, the RSI did not confirm with a push to new highs indicating that momentum, or rate-of-change, was waning.
    Todd Gordon, CNBC, 22 July 2025
Verb
  • Once the first seven vertebrae are drilled, Ross takes over on the left side to drill holes on the same vertebrae on the opposite side of the spinal cord.
    Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 23 July 2025
  • However, the noise could be caused by a woodpecker drilling on the gutters or near to one of them.
    Joan Morris, Mercury News, 21 July 2025
Verb
  • The students -- roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin -- were stabbed to death at the girls' off-campus house on Nov. 13, 2022.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 24 July 2025
  • Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves were stabbed to death in the middle of the night at their off-campus residence.
    Jordana Comiter, People.com, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • Videos from the scene posted to social media showed dozens of firefighters and other emergency service personnel at the scene, entering the building and removing residents from the immediate danger.
    Shane Croucher John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
  • Celebrity status became an advantage for these public figures when entering the courtroom and facing a jury of their peers, experts told Fox News Digital.
    Lauryn Overhultz , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • An Iranian man punches through a representation of the Israeli flag with the Iranian flag ribbon tied to his wrist in an anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli rally at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
  • Bowers smashed in the driver's side window and punched McNeil in the head.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 22 July 2025
Verb
  • The punctum keeps returning, no matter how hard Dyer tries to puncture it.
    Book Marks July 17, Literary Hub, 17 July 2025
  • Gross broke his femur, three ribs and punctured his lung.
    Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • The animal became the first black bear in five years to be killed in a management action situation in Yellowstone, with the last case coming in July 2020 when a black bear injured campers and accessed human food at a backcountry campsite in the park, officials said.
    Jon Haworth, ABC News, 19 July 2025
  • Always access Amazon directly through the mobile app or by typing amazon.co.uk in your browser.
    Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
Verb
  • This review pokes a useful hole in the breathless reception this film received, while managing to feel fond.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 24 July 2025
  • The dish is almost a tease, tickling and poking you by showcasing carrots such that here a confident argument is made to herald them in as the pre-eminent salad vegetable.
    Timothy DePeugh, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pierce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pierce. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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