verb
Meaning 1
To enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Light penetrates darkness.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ransack
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
penetrate
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈpɛnɪtɹeɪt/
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/ˈpɛnətɹeɪt/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: P EH1 N AH0 T R EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
- I could not penetrate Burke's opaque rhetoric.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To affect profoundly through the senses or feelings; to move deeply.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- to penetrate one's heart with pity
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To infiltrate an enemy to gather intelligence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To insert the penis into an orifice, such as a vagina, mouth, or anus.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a male elephant comes up and penetrates the female
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To move a piece past the defending pieces of one's opponent.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: board-games, chess, games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- It dawned on him that she had betrayed him
- she was penetrated with sorrow
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: click, get through, dawn, come home, get across, sink in, fall into place
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
come to understand
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: fathom, bottom
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: understand
verb
Meaning 9
pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The bullet penetrated her chest
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: perforate
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: enter, come in, get into, get in, go into, go in, move into
Narrower terms: probe, dig into, poke into, cut, interpenetrate, permeate, strike, break, foray, sneak in, creep in, pervade, penetrate, diffuse, imbue, riddle, honeycomb, pierce, thrust, tunnel, percolate, sink in, filter, ingrain, grain, immerse, plunge, storm, force, ooze through
verb
Meaning 10
spread or diffuse through
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration
- music penetrated the entire building
- His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: permeate, pervade, interpenetrate, diffuse, imbue, riddle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: penetrate, perforate
Narrower terms: spiritize, spiritise
verb
Meaning 11
insert the penis into the vagina or anus of
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Did the molester penetrate the child?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: insert, infix, enter, introduce
verb
Meaning 12
make one's way deeper into or through
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The hikers did not manage to penetrate the dense forest
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: advance, progress, pass on, move on, march on, go on
verb
Meaning 13
enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The student organization was infiltrated by a traitor
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: infiltrate
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: join, fall in, get together
History
Etymology
From Latin penētrātus, perfect passive participle of penētrō (“to put, set, or place within, enter, pierce, penetrate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from penes (“within, with”) by analogy to intrō (“to go in, enter”). Compare French pénétrer.
Across languages
Translations
85 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: اِخْتَرَقَ (iḵtaraqa) — enter into
- Aromanian: pitrundu — enter into
- Bengali: ঢুকানো (ḍhukanō) — enter into
- Bulgarian: пронизвам (pronizvam) — enter into
- Bulgarian: минавам през (minavam prez) — enter into
- Catalan: penetrar — enter into
- Cherokee: ᎠᏔᎳᎦᏍᎦ (atalagasga) — enter into
- Chinese Mandarin: 深入 (shēnrù) — enter into
- Chinese Mandarin: 穿透 (chuāntòu) — enter into
- Chinese Mandarin: 穿入 (chuānrù) — enter into
- Chinese Mandarin: 貫穿 /贯穿 (guànchuān) — enter into
- Czech: proniknout — enter into
- Czech: pronikat — enter into
- Danish: trænge ind — enter into
- Dutch: indringen — enter into
- Dutch: penetreren — enter into
- Esperanto: penetri — enter into
- Esperanto: eniri — enter into
- Estonian: läbistama — enter into
- Finnish: tunkeutua — enter into
- Finnish: työntyä — enter into
- French: pénétrer — enter into
- Galician: penetrar — enter into
- Georgian: შეაღწევს (šeaɣc̣evs) — enter into
- Georgian: შევა (ševa) — enter into
- Georgian: შეიჭრება (šeič̣reba) — enter into
- German: eindringen — enter into
- German: penetrieren — enter into
- Greek: διεισδύω (dieisdýo) — enter into
- Hungarian: behatol — enter into
- Irish: treáigh — enter into
- Italian: penetrare — enter into
- Japanese: 貫通する (kantsū suru) — enter into
- Japanese: 突き通る (tsukitōru) — enter into
- Korean: 침투하다 (chimtu-hada) — enter into
- Latin: intrō — enter into
- Latin: penetrō — enter into
- Lithuanian: skverbtis — enter into
- Lithuanian: prasiskverbti — enter into
- Lithuanian: įsiskverbti — enter into
- Lithuanian: kišti — enter into
- Manchu: ᡥᠠᡶᡠᠮᠪᡳ (hafumbi) — enter into
- Māori: ngoto — enter into
- Khiamniungan Naga: chāh — enter into
- Norwegian: trenge inn — enter into
- Old English: ġeondfaran — enter into
- Persian: سفتن (softan) — enter into
- Persian: آژیدن (âžidan) — enter into
- Polish: przenikać — enter into
- Polish: przeniknąć — enter into
- Polish: penetrować — enter into
- Polish: spenetrować — enter into
- Portuguese: penetrar — enter into
- Romanian: penetra — enter into
- Romanian: pătrunde — enter into
- Russian: проника́ть (pronikátʹ) — enter into
- Russian: прони́кнуть (proníknutʹ) — enter into
- Spanish: penetrar — enter into
- Swedish: intränga — enter into
- Swedish: penetrera — enter into
- Tagalog: pasukin — enter into
- Turkish: sokmak — enter into
- Ukrainian: проника́ти (pronykáty) — enter into
- Ukrainian: прони́кнути (pronýknuty) — enter into
- Bengali: ঢুকানো (ḍhukanō) — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Bulgarian: прониквам (pronikvam) — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Dutch: penetreren — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Estonian: läbistama — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Finnish: penetroida — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Galician: penetrar — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Georgian: პენეტრაციას ახდენს (ṗeneṭracias axdens) — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Georgian: პენეტრაციას მოახდენს (ṗeneṭracias moaxdens) — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- German: penetrieren — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Hungarian: behatol — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Karok: ápafur — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Korean: 삽입하다 (sabip-hada) — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Lithuanian: kišti — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Persian: سپوختن (sopuxtan) — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Polish: penetrować — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Polish: spenetrować — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Romanian: pătrunde — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Romanian: penetra — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Spanish: penetrar — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Tagalog: pasukin — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
- Turkish: sokmak — insert the penis into an opening, such as a vagina
Real reading context