penetrate
verb/ˈpenətreɪt/
/ˈpenətreɪt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they penetrate | /ˈpenətreɪt/ /ˈpenətreɪt/ |
| he / she / it penetrates | /ˈpenətreɪts/ /ˈpenətreɪts/ |
| past simple penetrated | /ˈpenətreɪtɪd/ /ˈpenətreɪtɪd/ |
| past participle penetrated | /ˈpenətreɪtɪd/ /ˈpenətreɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form penetrating | /ˈpenətreɪtɪŋ/ /ˈpenətreɪtɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to go into or through something
- penetrate something The knife had penetrated his chest.
- The sun's radiation penetrates the skin.
- The cold seemed to penetrate his bones.
- (figurative) The war penetrates every area of the nation's life.
- penetrate into/through/to something These fine particles penetrate deep into the lungs.
- narrow alleys where the sun never penetrates
Extra Examples- It is not yet known how deeply the radiation has penetrated into the soil.
- The dust had penetrated to all corners of the room.
- The light could not penetrate through the thick curtains.
- caves penetrating deep into the hills
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- deep
- deeply
- far
- …
- be able to
- can
- be difficult to
- …
- into
- through
- to
- …
Definitions on the go
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- [transitive, intransitive] to succeed in entering or joining an organization, a group, etc. especially when this is difficult to do
- penetrate something They had penetrated airport security.
- The party has been penetrated by extremists.
- This year the company has been trying to penetrate new markets (= to start selling their products there).
- These so-called secret societies were easily penetrated by intelligence agents.
- penetrate into something The troops had penetrated deep into enemy lines.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- deep
- deeply
- far
- …
- be able to
- can
- be difficult to
- …
- into
- through
- to
- …
- [transitive] penetrate something to see or show a way into or through something
- Our eyes could not penetrate the darkness.
- The flashlights barely penetrated the gloom.
- The sunlight barely penetrated the inner room.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- deep
- deeply
- far
- …
- be able to
- can
- be difficult to
- …
- into
- through
- to
- …
- [transitive] penetrate something to understand or discover something that is difficult to understand or is hidden
- Science can penetrate many of nature's mysteries.
- a style that is difficult to penetrate
- No one could penetrate the meaning of the inscription.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- deep
- deeply
- far
- …
- be able to
- can
- be difficult to
- …
- into
- through
- to
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] to be understood or realized by somebody
- I was at the door before his words penetrated.
- penetrate something None of my advice seems to have penetrated his thick skull (= he has not listened to any of it).
- The news slowly penetrated his consciousness.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- deep
- deeply
- far
- …
- be able to
- can
- be difficult to
- …
- into
- through
- to
- …
- [transitive] penetrate somebody/something to put the penis into the vagina or anus of a sexual partner
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin penetrat- ‘placed or gone into’, from the verb penetrare; related to penitus ‘inner’.
Check pronunciation:
penetrate