Definition of PIERCE

pierce

Plural: pierces

Noun

  • 14th President of the United States (1804-1869)
  • A pierced earring.

Verb

Verb Forms: pierced, piercing, pierces

  • To make a hole in or through; to penetrate.
  • cut or make a way through
    • "The path pierced the jungle"
    • "Light pierced through the forest"
  • move or affect (a person's emotions or bodily feelings) deeply or sharply
    • "The cold pierced her bones"
    • "Her words pierced the students"
  • sound sharply or shrilly
    • "The scream pierced the night"
  • penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument
  • make a hole into
    • "The needle pierced her flesh"
  • To puncture; to break through.
  • To create a hole in the skin for the purpose of inserting jewelry.
  • to break or interrupt abruptly
  • To get to the heart or crux of (a matter).
  • To penetrate; to affect deeply.

Examples

  • A scream pierced the silence.
  • Can you believe he pierced his tongue?
  • His precise play managed to PIERCE through his opponent’s defensive block.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English perce, from conjugated forms of Old French percier such as (jeo) pierce (“I pierce”), probably from Vulgar Latin *pertūsiō, from Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundō (“thrust or bore through”), from per- (“through”) + tundō (“beat, pound”). Displaced native Old English þȳrlian (literally “to hole”).

Synonyms

Franklin Pierce, President Pierce, thrust

Scrabble Score: 10

pierce: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
pierce: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
pierce: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

pierce: valid Words With Friends Word