Pierce

/piəs/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Verb (transitive and intransitive):
    • To make a hole in or through something using a sharp, pointed object: To penetrate or puncture a surface.
    • To force a way through or into something: To cut or pass through a barrier or medium.
    • To affect the senses or emotions sharply and deeply: To be felt intensely, as a sound, feeling, or sight that is penetrating.
Examples of Usage
  • Verb (Transitive):

    • The thorn pierced my finger. (A sharp object made a hole in my skin.)
    • Her scream pierced the silence of the night. (A sharp sound cut through the quiet.)
    • The news pierced his heart with sadness. (Emotions were affected deeply and sharply.)
  • Verb (Intransitive, often with 'through' or 'into'):

    • The needle pierced through the fabric easily. (The needle passed through the material.)
    • Sunlight finally pierced through the thick clouds. (Light forced its way through an obstacle.)
Advanced Usage
  • "to pierce the corporate veil" (Legal/Business Idiom): To hold a company's shareholders personally liable for the company's actions by ignoring the legal separation between the company and its owners.

    • The court decided to pierce the corporate veil due to evidence of fraud.
  • "piercing" (Adjective): Describing something that is very sharp, intense, or penetrating.

    • She gave him a piercing look. (A very sharp and penetrating gaze.)
    • He felt a piercing pain in his side. (A very sharp and sudden pain.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Piercing (n): The act of making a hole or the hole itself; also, a form of body modification where jewelry is inserted.
    • She got a new ear piercing.
  • Piercer (n): A person or tool that pierces.
    • The piercer used a sterilized needle.
Synonyms
  • Puncture: To make a small hole with a sharp point.
  • Penetrate: To enter or pass through something.
  • Impale: To pierce with a sharp stake or point (more violent connotation).
  • Perforate: To make a line of holes in something.
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Pierce through: To succeed in penetrating or passing through something.
    • The bullet pierced through the metal plate.
Related Idioms
  • Pierce someone's heart: To cause someone to feel a sudden, sharp emotion, typically sadness or love.
    • The tragic story pierced the hearts of everyone who heard it.
  • Pierce the darkness: For light or sound to cut through darkness.
    • A single beam from the lighthouse pierced the darkness.
Noun
  1. 14th President of the United States (1804-1869)
Verb
  1. make a hole into
    • The needle pierced her flesh
  2. penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument
  3. sound sharply or shrilly
    • The scream pierced the night
  4. move or affect (a person's emotions or bodily feelings) deeply or sharply
    • The cold pierced her bones
    • Her words pierced the students
  5. cut or make a way through
    • the knife cut through the flesh
    • The path pierced the jungle
    • Light pierced through the forest