Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To pierce with a pointed object.
- v. To make (a hole) by piercing.
- v. To cause to collapse by piercing.
- v. To depreciate or deflate: cutting remarks that punctured my ego.
- v. To be pierced or punctured.
- n. The act or an instance of puncturing.
- n. A hole or depression made by a sharp object, especially a hole in an automotive tire.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The act of perforating or pricking with a pointed instrument, or a small hole made by it; a small wound, as one made by a needle, prickle, or sting: as, the puncture of a lancet, nail, or pin.
- n. In zoology, a depressed point or dot, as if punctured; a small depression, as if pricked into a surface; a punctum. See cut under Coscinoptera.
- To prick; pierce with a sharp point of any kind: as, to puncture the skin.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of puncturing; perforating with something pointed.
- n. A small hole made by a point; a slight wound, bite, or sting.
- v. To pierce with a small, pointed instrument, or the like; to prick; to make a puncture in.
WordNet 3.0
- v. make by piercing
- n. loss of air pressure in a tire when a hole is made by some sharp object
- v. cause to lose air pressure or collapse by piercing
- n. a small hole made by a sharp object
- v. reduce or lessen the size or importance of
- n. the act of puncturing or perforating
- v. be pierced or punctured
- v. pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into
Etymologies
- From Middle English, a pricking, from Late Latin pūnctūra, from pūnctus, past participle of pungere, to prick; see peuk- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“AngioDynamics said in the FDA report that such a puncture is a "possible complication" of any such operation.”
The Wall Street Journal: Some Doctors Question New Cancer Treatment
“And with the galvanised metal, it's rigid and easy to store or, as you say, repurpose for the rest of the year and it will never get a puncture from a stone.”
“It is commonly called puncture vine or caltrop fruit.”
“Punk" doesn't mean a tough-looking guy, but a flat tire (it comes from the word puncture).”
“A.) you don't trip yourselves and sustain puncture wounds to places you never wanted to discuss with the ER doc, or”
“The puncture was a separate incident from the car hitting me, I was not punctured thanks!”
“Even the lowly, and detested, weed called puncture vine, toritos in Spanish and Ci Ji Li in Traditional Chinese Medicine, has health benefits.”
“You may imagine a birthday balloon, where a puncture is a risk to the integrity of the whole.”
“His symptoms of confusion were worked up by having a lumbar puncture, which is a spinal tap.”
“The edges of the puncture were a sickly, purplish-black color, and a ghastly odor rose from the wound.”
Conan The Hunter
Lists
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dnfrd Like this. Dec 12, 2006