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pierce

/pɪɹs/ verb C1
  1. To puncture; to break through. (transitive) · The diver pierced the surface of the water with scarcely a splash.· to pierce the enemy's line
  2. To create a hole in the skin for the purpose of inserting jewelry. (transitive)
  3. to break or interrupt abruptly (transitive) · A dreadful scream pierced the silence.
  4. To get to the heart or crux of (a matter). (figuratively, transitive) · to pierce a mystery
  5. To penetrate; to affect deeply. (figuratively, transitive) · A stab of fear pierced my heart.

He/she/it pierces · Past pierced · Past participle pierced · -ing form piercing

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Verb forms

Base form
pierce
He/she/it
pierces
Past
pierced
Past participle
pierced
-ing form
piercing

From the library

He waited silently, striving to pierce through the darkness.
The Count of Monte Cristo, p. 72 · C1
But one of the tree’s prickles pierced his finger and caused great pain and inflammation, so that the young Prince fell down in a fainting fit.
Three Hundred Aesop's Fables, p. 99 · B2
We all sat in silence for some minutes while those fateful eyes still strained to pierce the veil.
The Valley of Fear, p. 102 · C1
His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision.
A Study in Scarlet, p. 12 · B2

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.