Adjacent Words

Puncture definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PUNC'TURE, n. [L. punctura.] The act of perforating with a pointed instrument; or a small hole made by it; as the puncture of a nail,needle or pin.
A lion may perish by the puncture of an asp.
PUNC'TURE,v.t. To prick; to pierce with a small pointed instrument; as, to puncture the skin.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: loss of air pressure in a tire when a hole is made by some sharp object
2: a small hole made by a sharp object
3: the act of puncturing or perforating v
1: pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into; "puncture a tire"
2: make by piercing; "puncture a hole"
3: reduce or lessen the size or importance of; "The bad review of his work deflated his self-confidence" [syn: deflate, puncture]
4: cause to lose air pressure or collapse by piercing; "puncture an air balloon"
5: be pierced or punctured; "The tire punctured"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Latin punctura, from punctus, past participle of pungere Date: 14th century 1. an act of puncturing 2. a hole, wound, or perforation made by puncturing 3. a minute depression II. verb (punctured; puncturing) Date: 1699 transitive verb 1. to pierce with or as if with a pointed instrument or object 2. to make useless or ineffective as if by a puncture ; deflate intransitive verb to become punctured

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a prick or pricking, esp. the accidental piercing of a pneumatic tyre. 2 a hole made in this way. --v. 1 tr. make a puncture in. 2 intr. undergo puncture. 3 tr. prick or pierce. Etymology: ME f. L punctura f. pungere punct- prick

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Puncture Punc"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punctured; p. pr. & vb. n. Puncturing.] To pierce with a small, pointed instrument, or the like; to prick; to make a puncture in; as, to puncture the skin.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Puncture Punc"ture, n. [L. punctura, fr. pungere, punctum, to prick. See Pungent.] 1. The act of puncturing; perforating with something pointed. 2. A small hole made by a point; a slight wound, bite, or sting; as, the puncture of a nail, needle, or pin. A lion may perish by the puncture of an asp. --Rambler.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(punctures, puncturing, punctured) 1. A puncture is a small hole in a car tyre or bicycle tyre that has been made by a sharp object. Somebody helped me mend the puncture. ...a tyre that has a slow puncture. N-COUNT 2. A puncture is a small hole in someone's skin that has been made by or with a sharp object. An instrument called a trocar makes a puncture in the abdominal wall. N-COUNT 3. If a sharp object punctures something, it makes a hole in it. The bullet punctured the skull. VERB: V n 4. If a car tyre or bicycle tyre punctures or if something punctures it, a hole is made in the tyre. The tyre is guaranteed never to puncture or go flat... He punctured a tyre in the last lap. VERB: V, V n 5. If someone's feelings or beliefs are punctured, their feelings or beliefs are made to seem wrong or foolish, especially when this makes the person feel disappointed or upset. His enthusiasm for fishing had been punctured by the sight of what he might catch. = deflate VERB: be V-ed, also V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Small hole, wound, bite, sting. II. v. a. Prick, perforate, pierce.

Moby Thesaurus

abrade, abrasion, acupunctuation, acupuncture, auger, bark, belie, birthmark, bite, blaze, blaze a trail, blemish, bloody, blotch, blow sky-high, blow up, bore, boring, brand, break, bring up short, broach, burn, caste mark, cave, cave in, chafe, chalk, chalk up, check, check off, checkmark, chip, cicatrix, cicatrize, claw, collapse, concussion, countersink, crack, crackle, craze, cut, dapple, dash, define, deflate, delimit, demarcate, destroy, discolor, discoloration, disconfirm, discourage, discredit, disillusion, disprove, dot, drill, drill hole, earmark, empierce, empiercement, engrave, engraving, explode, expose, fall in, fix, fixing, flash burn, fleck, flick, fold, fold up, fracture, fray, frazzle, freckle, fret, gall, gash, go through, gore, goring, gouge, gouge out, graving, hack, hatch, hole, honeycomb, humble, hurt, impale, impalement, implode, impress, imprint, incise, incision, injure, injury, invalidate, jab, jot, lacerate, laceration, lance, lancing, leak, lentigo, lesion, line, macula, maim, make a mark, make mincemeat of, mark, mark off, mark out, marking, maul, mole, mortal wound, mottle, mutilate, mutilation, needle, negate, negative, nevus, nick, notch, opening, patch, pencil, penetrate, penetration, pepper, perforate, perforation, pierce, piercing, pink, point, polka dot, prick, pricking, print, prove the contrary, punch, punching, punctuate, puncturing, ream, ream out, rend, rent, riddle, rip, ruin, run, run through, rupture, savage, scald, scar, scarification, scarify, scorch, score, scotch, scrape, scratch, scratching, scuff, seal, seam, second-degree burn, shoot, show up, skewer, skewering, skin, slash, slit, sore, spear, speck, speckle, spike, spit, splash, splotch, spot, sprain, stab, stab wound, stabbing, stain, stamp, stick, stigma, stigmatize, strain, strawberry mark, streak, striate, stripe, tap, tattoo, tattoo mark, tear, terebration, third-degree burn, tick, tick off, tittle, trace, transfix, transfixation, transfixion, transforation, transpierce, trauma, traumatize, trepan, trepanning, trephine, trephining, undercut, underline, underscore, watermark, wound, wounds immedicable, wrench