pierce
To puncture; to break through.
Verb 4 meanings
To puncture; to break through.
“The diver pierced the surface of the water with scarcely a splash.”
To create a hole in the skin for the purpose of inserting jewelry.
“Can you believe he pierced his tongue?”
to break or interrupt abruptly
“A dreadful scream pierced the silence.”
To get to the heart or crux of (a matter).
“to pierce a mystery”
Noun 1 meaning
A pierced earring.
Etymology
From Middle English perce, from conjugated forms of Old French percier such as (jeo) pierce (“I pierce”), probably from Vulgar Latin *pertūsiō, from Latin pertūsus, past participle of pertundō (“thrust or bore through”), from per- (“through”) + tundō (“beat, pound”).
Similar and opposite words
PIERCE at a glance
PIERCE has 6 letters and scores 10 points in Scrabble (P 3 + I 1 + E 1 + R 1 + C 3 + E 1) and 12 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #7,836 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with pierce
All rhymes- FORCE10
- SOURCE8
- RESOURCE10
- COMMERCE16
- DIVORCE13
- ENFORCE12
- WORKFORCE21
- FIERCE11
- REINFORCE14
- SCARCE10
- PEARCE10
- FARCE10
One letter away
- FIERCE11
- TIERCE8
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