Penetration Meaning
/pɛ.nɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe act of penetrating something.
nounThe insertion of the penis (or similar object) during sexual intercourse.
Sentence Examples
I was born in the wrong penetration.
Can I get pregnant if I have sex without penetration?
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the nail into the wood required a lot of force from the hammer.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the new product into the market exceeded all expectations within the first quarter.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English penetracioun, from Old French penetracïon, and its source, Latin penetrātiō, from the participle stem of penetrō (“pierce”, verb). Morphologically penetrate + -ion.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] my observations of her looks and actions became acutely sharpened, and that to a degree, which, notwithstanding my efforts to conceal it, could not escape her penetration."
— 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter III, in Rob Roy. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 46:
"I have no respect for the penetration of any man who can read the report of that conversation, and still call the principal in it insane."
— 1859, Henry David Thoreau, A Plea for Captain John Brown:
"Arsenal lacked urgency and penetration in a lazy, lacklustre opening half, sucked in by Forest's strategy of sitting back in blocks of defence waiting to hit them on the counter."
— 2024 January 30, Phil McNulty, “Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal: Gunners in title race after they close gap to leaders Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
"The electrification of the lines radiating from Casablanca originated with the policy of economic penetration and conciliation pursued by Marshal Lyautey for the pacification of Morocco."
— 1950 March, “The Why and the Wherefore: Railway Electrification in Morocco”, in Railway Magazine, page 214:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the nail into the wood required a lot of force from the hammer.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the new product into the market exceeded all expectations within the first quarter.