Penetrate Meaning
/ˈpɛnɪtɹeɪt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo enter into; to make way into the interior of; to pierce.
verbTo achieve understanding of, despite some obstacle; to comprehend; to understand.
Sentence Examples
Microwaves penetrate the food in the oven.
It took a long time for Japanese imports to penetrate the American consumer markets.
Sami tried to penetrate Layla but she didn't let him.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The strong smell of garlic began to ____ the whole kitchen quickly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The drill was powerful enough to ____ the thick concrete wall in under a minute.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He takes the prepared charcoal used by artists, brings it to a white heat, and suddenly plunges it in a bath of mercury, of which the globules instantly penetrate the pores of charcoal, and may be said to metallize it."
— 1879, Th Du Moncel, The Telephone, the Microphone and the Phonograph, Harper, page 166:
"The native-born and the "naturalised" locomotives have been giving way to the standardised types, of which the L.M.S.R. class "5" 4-6-0 has led the way and has penetrated the furthest."
— 1958 July 26, J. P. Wilson, “Scottish Soliloquy”, in Railway Magazine, page 495:
"Considerable interest has developed within the defense community during recent years in weapons that are capable of penetrating some distance into the earth before detonating. […] To be generally effective, earth penetrating weapons (EPW) must be capable of penetrating various geologic targets, ranging from soil to rock, without producing critical damage to the payload."
— 1978 November, H. E. Read [et al.], “Preface”, in CAPRI: A Two-dimensional Eulerian Code for Analyzing the Impact of Highly Deformable Projectiles into Rock: Final Report for Period 15 November 1975 – 30 September 1976 (DNA 4751F), Washington, D.C.: Defense Nuclear Agency, →OCLC, page 7:
"and they, ... they .... fly though space, and they penetrate the atmosphere[…]after an amazing nine-month journey"
— 2013, Space Babies:
"Our results also identified the causative mutation of polydactylous Silkie was not exist in other nonpolydactyly chickens, suggesting that SNP of polydactyly in Silkie has fully penetrated all other indigenous Chinese chicken breeds."
— 2016 February 10, “Parallel Evolution of Polydactyly Traits in Chinese and European Chickens”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The strong smell of garlic began to ____ the whole kitchen quickly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The drill was powerful enough to ____ the thick concrete wall in under a minute.