I. pierc ‧ ing 1 /ˈpɪəsɪŋ $ ˈpɪr-/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . EYES/LOOK literary someone with piercing eyes is looking at you and seems to know what you are thinking:
There was mockery now in those piercing blue eyes.
She felt foolish and unsure under his piercing gaze.
He gave her a piercing look.
2 . SOUND a sound that is piercing is high, sharp, and unpleasant:
He grinned and let out a piercing whistle.
a piercing scream
3 . WIND a piercing wind is very cold
4 . PAIN causing a lot of pain:
She felt a piercing sensation in her arm.
5 . EMOTION [only before noun] affecting your feelings very deeply in a sad way:
a piercing moment of regret
—piercingly adverb :
It was piercingly cold.
She looked at him piercingly.
II. piercing 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
a hole made through part of your body so that you can put jewellery there, or the process of making these holes