pierce /pɪəs $ pɪrs/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: percer , probably from Latin pertundere 'to make a hole through' ]
1 . [transitive] to make a small hole in or through something, using an object with a sharp point:
Steam the corn until it can easily be pierced with a fork.
Rose underwent emergency surgery after a bullet pierced her lung.
pierce a hole in/through something
Pierce small holes in the base of the pot with a hot needle.
2 . have your ears/nose etc pierced to have a small hole made in your ears, nose etc so that you can wear jewellery through the hole:
I had my belly-button pierced.
pierced ears
3 . [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] literary if sound or light pierces something, you suddenly hear or see it:
The darkness was pierced by the beam from the lighthouse.
A sudden scream pierced the silence.
pierce through
The men’s lanterns pierced through the dense mist.
4 . pierce sb’s heart to make someone feel a strong emotion such as pain, sadness, or love:
Her memories sometimes pierced her heart.
5 . [transitive] to force a way through something:
Leicester rarely threatened to pierce the Manchester United defence.
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THESAURUS
■ to make a hole in something
▪ make a hole in something to cause a hole to appear in something:
Make a hole in the bottom of the can using a hammer and nail.
▪ pierce to make a small hole in or through something, using a pointed object:
The dog's teeth had pierced her skin.
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Shelley wanted to have her ears pierced (=for earrings) .
▪ prick to make a very small hole in the surface of something, using a pointed object:
Prick the potatoes before baking them.
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My finger was bleeding where the needle had pricked it.
▪ punch to make a hole through paper or flat material using a metal tool or other sharp object:
I bought one of those things for punching holes in paper.
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You have to get your ticket punched before you get on the train.
▪ puncture to make a small hole in something, especially something where skin or a wall surrounds a softer or hollow inside part:
The bullet had punctured his lung.
▪ perforate formal to make a hole or holes in something:
Fragments of the bullet had perforated his intestines.
▪ drill to make a hole using a special tool, often one which turns round and round very quickly:
The dentist started drilling a hole in my tooth.
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They won a contract to drill for oil in the area.
▪ bore to make a deep round hole through a rock, into the ground etc:
They had to bore through solid rock.
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The men were boring a hole for the tunnel.