The meaning of Penetrating

noun

A substance with particular chemical properties including turning litmus red, neutralizing alkalis, and dissolving some metals; typically, a corrosive or sour-tasting liquid of this kind.

Usage examples:

Trees were exposed to mixtures of heavy metals, acids, and overdoses of nutrients

adjective

Containing acid or having the properties of an acid; having a ph of less than 7.

Usage examples:

Acid soils

noun

Any of various chemical substances that can produce salts, some of which are able to damage whatever they touch

Usage examples:

The salad dressing has an acid taste.

adjective

Unpleasantly bitter or pungent.

Usage examples:

Acrid smoke

adjective

Strong, bitter, and unpleasant

Usage examples:

The electrical fire sent thick clouds of acrid smoke through the office.

verb

Arrest (someone) for a crime.

Usage examples:

A warrant was issued but he has not been apprehended

verb

Anticipate with dread or anxiety

verb

To catch and put a person under police control; to arrest

Usage examples:

Last night police apprehended the suspect.

adjective

Causing the contraction of skin cells and other body tissues.

Usage examples:

An astringent skin lotion

noun

An astringent lotion applied to the skin to reduce bleeding from minor abrasions or as a cosmetic to make the skin less oily.

Usage examples:

Alcohol-based astringents and toners can make skin even drier.

adjective

An astringent substance causes the skin or other tissue to tighten

Usage examples:

An astringent cream, astringent criticism, her astringent wit, the astringent taste of the herbs fi…

adjective

(of insects and certain other animals) able to wound the skin with a sting or fangs.

Usage examples:

A cream to ward off biting insects

verb

(of a person or animal) use the teeth to cut into or through something.

Usage examples:

He bit off a piece of cheese

noun

A bite-sized piece of food; a small snack, appetizer, or canapé.

Usage examples:

The hotel bar serves cocktails and delicious bitings

adjective

Having a sharp, pungent taste or smell; not sweet.

Usage examples:

Raw berries have an intensely bitter flavour

noun

Beer that is strongly flavoured with hops and has a bitter taste, brewed by top fermentation.

Usage examples:

A pint of bitter

adjective

Having a slightly stinging, strong taste, not salty or sweet

Usage examples:

The coffee was bitter., losing the election was a bitter disappointment., she has no bitterness abo…

adjective

On fire.

Usage examples:

A burning building

verb

(of a fire) produce flames and heat while consuming a material such as coal or wood.

Usage examples:

A fire burned and crackled cheerfully in the grate

adjective

Excessively sweet, rich, or sentimental, especially to a disgusting or sickening degree.

Usage examples:

A romantic, rather cloying story

verb

Disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment.

Usage examples:

A curious bitter-sweetness that cloyed her senses

adjective

Tasting or smelling too sweet and therefore unpleasant

Usage examples:

This is a wonderful wine - honeyed and rich without being remotely cloying., the room was filled wi…

verb

Grasp mentally; understand.

Usage examples:

He couldn't comprehend her reasons for marrying lovat

verb

To understand something completely

Usage examples:

If you don’t comprehend something, don’t be afraid to seem dumb, just speak out., the directions we…

verb

Convert (a text written in code, or a coded signal) into normal language.

Usage examples:

Authorized government agencies can decipher encrypted telecommunications

verb

To discover the meaning of something hard to understand or which contains a hidden message

Usage examples:

I have a hard time deciphering my phone bill.

verb

To discover the meaning of something written badly or in a difficult or hidden way

Usage examples:

Can you decipher the writing on this envelope?

verb

Recognize or find out.

Usage examples:

I can discern no difference between the two policies

verb

To be able to see, recognize, understand, or decide something

Usage examples:

He could discern the note of urgency in their voices., the exhibit is arranged in no important orde…

noun

A unit of length equal to six feet (1.8 metres), chiefly used in reference to the depth of water.

Usage examples:

Sonar says that we're in eighteen fathoms

verb

Understand (a difficult problem or an enigmatic person) after much thought.

Usage examples:

The locals could not fathom out the reason behind his new-found prosperity

adjective

Smelling extremely unpleasant.

Usage examples:

The fetid water of the marsh

noun

Blood that has been shed, especially as a result of violence.

Usage examples:

The film omitted the blood and gore in order to avoid controversy

verb

(of an animal such as a bull) pierce or stab (a person or other animal) with a horn or tusk.

Usage examples:

He was gored to death by a charging bull

verb

Shape with a gore or gores.

Usage examples:

For a larger figure it would be necessary to slightly gore the skirt

verb

Seize and hold firmly.

Usage examples:

She grasped the bottle

noun

A firm hold or grip.

Usage examples:

The child slipped from her grasp

verb

Hold firmly

abbreviation

(in measuring the height of horses) hand(s).

Usage examples:

Pinto pony gelding—quiet, 13.3 h, great with kids

noun

The eighth letter of the alphabet.

noun

A thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the total heat content of a system. it is equal to the internal energy of the system plus the product of pressure and volume.

verb

Transfix or pierce with a sharp instrument.

Usage examples:

His head was impaled on a pike and exhibited for all to see

verb

To push a sharp pointed object through something, esp. an animal’s or person’s body

Usage examples:

Walruses sometimes use their tusks to impale seals for food.

verb

Enter or gain access to (an organization, place, etc.) surreptitiously and gradually, especially in order to acquire secret information.

Usage examples:

The organization has been infiltrated by informers

noun

An infiltrating substance or a number of infiltrating cells.

Usage examples:

A chest radiograph revealed a patchy infiltrate in the left lower lobes

verb

To become a member of a group or organization to secretly gather information about its activities

verb

Explain the meaning of (information or actions).

Usage examples:

The evidence is difficult to interpret

verb

Make sense of; assign a meaning to

verb

To describe the meaning of something; examine in order to explain

Usage examples:

It’s difficult to interpret these statistics without knowing how they were obtained., [ i ] i had t…

verb

(of an armed force) enter (a country or region) so as to subjugate or occupy it.

Usage examples:

During the second world war the island was invaded by the axis powers

verb

March aggressively into a territory by military force

verb

To enter a place by force, often in large numbers

Usage examples:

[ t ] the allies were poised to invade germany., [ t ] fig. i think that the opportunity is definit…

adjective

Causing annoyance, impatience, or mild anger.

Usage examples:

An irritating child

verb

Make (someone) annoyed or a little angry.

Usage examples:

His tone irritated her

adjective

Making you feel annoyed or angry

Usage examples:

There was one irritating delay after another.

noun

A long weapon with a wooden shaft and a pointed steel head, formerly used by a horseman in charging.

Usage examples:

The warriors bore lances tipped with iron or steel

verb

Prick or cut open (an abscess or boil) with a lancet or other sharp instrument.

Usage examples:

Abscesses should not be lanced until there is a soft spot in the centre

noun

A long, thin pole with a sharp point that soldiers used in the past as a weapon when riding horses

Usage examples:

She had a boil lanced at the doctor's this morning.

adjective

Causing or liable to cause a feeling of nausea or disgust; disgusting.

Usage examples:

The stench was nauseating

verb

Affect with nausea.

Usage examples:

The thought of food nauseated her

adjective

Making you feel as if you are going to vomit

Usage examples:

The tv news can be pretty nauseating at times.

adjective

Affected with nausea; feeling inclined to vomit.

Usage examples:

A rancid odour that made him nauseous

adjective

Feeling that you are likely to vomit, or causing this feeling

Usage examples:

He felt nauseous and dehydrated., unpleasant, nauseous odors

adjective

Causing someone to feel resentful, upset, or annoyed.

Usage examples:

The allegations made are deeply offensive to us

noun

An attacking military campaign.

Usage examples:

An impending military offensive against the guerrillas

Unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses

verb

Spread over or occupy (a place) in large numbers.

Usage examples:

The mediterranean has been overrun by tourists

noun

An instance of something exceeding an expected or allowed time or cost.

Usage examples:

The cost overrun caused the company's share price to fall

verb

To spread over an area quickly and in large numbers

Usage examples:

The city has become increasingly unpleasant because it is overrun with tourists.

verb

Become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.

Usage examples:

His mouth fell open as he perceived the truth

verb

Become aware of through the senses

verb

To think of something in a particular way

Usage examples:

The way people perceive the real world is strongly influenced by the language they speak., in those…

verb

Pierce and make a hole or holes in.

Usage examples:

There is a very small risk of the scope perforating the colon

adjective

Perforated.

Usage examples:

A perforate shell

adjective

(especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people.

Usage examples:

Ageism is pervasive and entrenched in our society

adjective

Present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place

Usage examples:

The influence of freud is pervasive in her books., a pervasive smell of diesel, reforms are being u…

verb

(of a sharp pointed object) go into or through (something).

Usage examples:

A splinter had pierced the skin

verb

To go in or through something, esp. with a pointed object, making a hole

Usage examples:

Pierce the potatoes with a fork to see if they’re done., she got her ears pierced.

adjective

Having great power or strength.

Usage examples:

A fast, powerful car

adverb

Very.

Usage examples:

Walking is powerful hot work

adjective

Strong

Usage examples:

The picture quality is bad because the tv signal isn’t powerful enough., a powerful drug, he’s in a…

verb

Make a small hole in (something) with a sharp point; pierce slightly.

Usage examples:

Prick the potatoes with a fork

noun

An act of piercing something with a sharp point.

Usage examples:

The pin prick had produced a drop of blood

verb

To make a small hole or holes in the surface of something

Usage examples:

The nurse pricked his finger to draw blood.

noun

A blunt-ended surgical instrument used for exploring a wound or part of the body.

Usage examples:

The surgeon passes the probe over the surgical site again and excises more specimen if elevated rad…

verb

Physically explore or examine (something) with the hands or an instrument.

Usage examples:

Hands probed his body from top to bottom

verb

To search into or examine something

Usage examples:

[ i ] investigators are probing into new evidence in the case., [ t ] using a special instrument, t…

noun

A small hole in a tyre resulting in an escape of air.

Usage examples:

She was on her way home when she had a puncture

verb

Make a puncture in (something).

Usage examples:

One of the knife blows had punctured a lung

noun

A small hole made by a sharp object

adjective

Having a sharply strong taste or smell.

Usage examples:

The pungent smell of frying onions

adjective

(of a smell or taste) very strong, sometimes in an unpleasant way

Usage examples:

Pungent odors

verb

Settle or find a solution to (a problem or contentious matter).

Usage examples:

The firm aims to resolve problems within 30 days

noun

Firm determination to do something.

Usage examples:

She received information that strengthened her resolve

verb

Find a solution or answer

adjective

(of an object) having an edge or point that is able to cut or pierce something.

Usage examples:

Cut the cake with a very sharp knife

adverb

Precisely (used after an expression of time).

Usage examples:

The meeting starts at 7.30 sharp

noun

A musical note raised a semitone above natural pitch.

Usage examples:

Choices in successive levels expand to all notes, then sharps and flats.

adjective

Often ill; in poor health.

Usage examples:

She was a thin, sickly child

adjective

Weak and unhealthy

Usage examples:

He was a sickly child.

noun

The fact or sensation of feeling a sharp stinging pain.

Usage examples:

Ammonia can cause smarting of the eyes and breathing difficulties

adjective

(of part of the body) feeling a sharp stinging pain.

Usage examples:

Susan rubbed her smarting eyes

verb

(of a wound or part of the body) feel or cause a sharp stinging pain.

Usage examples:

Her legs were scratched and smarting

verb

Find an answer to, explanation for, or means of effectively dealing with (a problem or mystery).

Usage examples:

The policy could solve the town's housing crisis

verb

Find the answer to or understand the meaning of

adjective

Having an acid taste like lemon or vinegar.

Usage examples:

She sampled the wine and found it was sour

noun

A drink made by mixing a spirit with lemon or lime juice.

Usage examples:

A rum sour

verb

Make or become sour.

Usage examples:

Water soured with tamarind

noun

A thin, pointed piece of metal, wood, or another rigid material.

Usage examples:

The spikes dug into the thin material of the bags, and dirt began to leak out.

verb

Impale on or pierce with a sharp point.

Usage examples:

She spiked another oyster

noun

A flower cluster formed of many flower heads attached directly to a long stem.

Usage examples:

This handsome plant has striking blue flowers in a spike on the stem

verb

Thrust a knife or other pointed weapon into (someone) so as to wound or kill.

Usage examples:

He stabbed her in the stomach

noun

A thrust with a knife or other pointed weapon.

Usage examples:

Multiple stab wounds

verb

To injure someone using a sharp, pointed object

Usage examples:

He was stabbed with a fork., he’s recovering from stab wounds., cheri felt a sudden stab of guilt.,…

noun

A thin piece of wood that has fallen or been cut off a tree.

Usage examples:

Hayes picked up a fallen stick and twirled it idly between his fingers.

verb

Push a sharp or pointed object into or through (something).

Usage examples:

He stuck his fork into the sausage

verb

A long thin implement resembling a length of wood

adjective

(of heat, air, or a room) very hot and causing difficulties in breathing; suffocating.

Usage examples:

Stifling heat

verb

Make (someone) unable to breathe properly; suffocate.

Usage examples:

Those in the streets were stifled by the fumes

adjective

Extremely hot, with a lack of fresh air

Usage examples:

Summers in virginia have always had stifling humidity.

adjective

Having a sting; capable of wounding or piercing with a sting.

Usage examples:

A swarm of stinging insects

verb

Wound or pierce with a sting.

Usage examples:

He was stung by a jellyfish

adjective

Having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.

Usage examples:

She cut through the water with her strong arms

adjective

Physically powerful or energetic

Usage examples:

You must be strong to be able to lift all that weight., i feel a little stronger every day., strong…

adjective

An activity or industry that is strong is growing and becoming more successful

Usage examples:

Economic news has been better than expected, with retail sales remaining strong., worldwide sales b…

adjective

Causing difficulty in breathing.

Usage examples:

The suffocating heat

verb

Die or cause to die from lack of air or inability to breathe.

Usage examples:

They suffocated in their sleep

adjective

Something that is suffocating makes you feel uncomfortably hot or unable to breathe

Usage examples:

I've got to open the window - it's suffocating in here!, suffocating smoke/fumes, the book tells th…

verb

Cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment.

Usage examples:

He was transfixed by the pain in her face

verb

To make a person or animal unable to move or stop looking at something because they are so interested, surprised, or frightened

Usage examples:

The conference delegates were transfixed by her speech., a body lay in the corner, transfixed by a …

verb

Perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or a speaker).

Usage examples:

He didn't understand a word i said

verb

Know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

verb

To know the meaning of something, or to know how a person feels and why the person behaves in a particular way

Usage examples:

[ + question word ] i don’t understand what he means., [ t ] is there anyone here who understands e…

verb

Undo (twisted, knitted, or woven threads).

Usage examples:

There are some threads that once pulled unraveled the whole sweater.

collocation

Find the solution to or understand the meaning of

phrasal verb

Plan or devise something in detail.

Usage examples:

We need to work out a seating plan

phrasal verb

Solve a sum or determine an amount by calculation.

Usage examples:

The interest rate is worked out by adding a certain amount to the current base rate