I. ˈpərfəˌrāt, ˈpə̄f-, ˈpəif-, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin perforatus, past participle of perforare to bore through, from per- + forare to bore — more at bore
transitive verb
1.
a. : to make a hole through : pierce , puncture
perforate a jar top to give a captured butterfly air
tarpaulins liberally perforated by small V-shaped rents — I.T.Sanderson
perforate a stamp in making a cut cancellation
an ulcer perforates the duodenal wall
specifically : to make a line of holes or small incisions in (as a sheet of stamps or coupons) to facilitate separation
b. : to make a hole or opening in : pit , indent
gopher holes perforate the range
scenic fjords perforate the coastline
c. : to enter or extend through
divisions of the eighth nerve … again perforate the dura mater through smaller openings — G.V.Ellis
2. : to make (a hole or design) by boring or piercing
tools for perforating thousands of different patterns — Industrial Equipment News
intransitive verb
1. : to penetrate a surface
occasionally an ulcer perforates … just when it seems to be well under control — Frank Forty
2. : to pierce the casing of an oil well at a desired depth to allow the oil to seep in
Synonyms:
perforate , puncture , punch , prick , bore , and drill mean, in common, to pierce so as to leave a hole. perforate , though it can mean to pierce, now applies chiefly to the making, usually by machine, of a series of small holes in a line or pattern for ornamentation, identification, or ease of separation
boat stones, resembling canoes and sometimes perforated to be worn as pendants — American Guide Series: New Jersey
a monogram perforated on each title page
a set of pins that perforates an entire sheet at one operation — Al Burns
puncture implies the passing of a sharp pointed instrument into or through a tissue, substance, or material, often carrying also the added connotation of deflation
the dark green blind that was punctured here and there, admitting starlike bits of light — Jean Stafford
today we have holes that puncture the earth's shell as much as three miles — Lamp
puncture a balloon or a tire
punch is often interchangeable with perforate especially when a mechanical device is used
a bullet an inch and a half in diameter was formerly big enough to punch holes in a tank — G.R.Harrison
an army captain had invented a system of dot-and-dash symbols which could be punched out on thick paper and read by touch at night — Time
cement mixer … crashed through a buried septic tank early yesterday afternoon, punching a large crater in the earth — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union
a machine for punching cards for automatic computing machines
prick implies a piercing with a sharp fine point to make a small hole or inflict a superficial wound
prick a finger with a needle
urged the laggards along by pricking them with the point of his bayonet
seedlings were pricking through the soil — Anne Dorrance
bore suggests excavation or the use of a rotating cutting tool, as an auger or broach; in figurative use, as distinguished from drill , bore suggests a slow continuous penetrating by force
three tunnels were bored — Tom Marvel
holes bored in the beach by small reddish crabs — J.G.Frazer
bore one's way patiently through a dense crowd of spectators
drill commonly implies the use of a pointed or sharp rotating tool for boring holes in hard substances; in figurative use, as distinguished from bore , drill suggests a forced penetration through repetitive persistence
drill a hole through a plank
drill a sheet of metal in several places
it is firmly drilled into the minds of ministers by their officials that only in red tape can security be found in war — E.H.Collis
II. -f(ə)rə̇]t, -fəˌrā], usu ]d.+V\ adjective
Etymology: Latin perforatus, past participle of perforare
1. : perforated
2.
a. : having a permanently open umbilicus at the origin of the whorls : umbilicate — used of a spiral shell; compare imperforate
b. : of or relating to the Perforata