The meaning of Piercing

adjective

Quick to notice any unusual and potentially dangerous or difficult circumstances; vigilant.

Usage examples:

An alert police officer discovered a lorry full of explosive

noun

The state of being watchful for possible danger.

Usage examples:

Security forces are on the alert for an upsurge in violence

verb

Warn (someone) of a danger or problem.

Usage examples:

He alerted people to the dangers of smoking

adjective

Having or showing good judgement.

Usage examples:

The brasserie attracts discerning customers

verb

Recognize or find out.

Usage examples:

I can discern no difference between the two policies

adjective

Able to make or usually making careful judgments about the quality of similar things

Usage examples:

Marion is a discerning judge of good design.

adjective

Having or showing refined taste or good judgement.

Usage examples:

He became a discriminating collector and patron of the arts

verb

Recognize a distinction; differentiate.

Usage examples:

Babies can discriminate between different facial expressions

adjective

Able to judge the quality of something based on its difference from other, similar things

Usage examples:

A discriminating music lover, discriminating buyers/shoppers

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

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.

adjective

Having or showing an interest in learning things; curious.

Usage examples:

His poems reveal an intensely inquisitive mind

adjective

(of a person or a person’s behavior) eager to know a lot about people or things

Usage examples:

An inquisitive mind, our neighbors are too inquisitive.

adjective

Having or showing intelligence, especially of a high level.

Usage examples:

Anna is intelligent and hard-working

adjective

Showing intelligence, or the ability to understand and learn well

Usage examples:

A highly intelligent woman, she writes intelligently about the life of mary baker eddy.

adjective

Able to learn and understand things quickly and easily

Usage examples:

A lot of thoroughly intelligent, sensible people have fallen for the salesman's charm., a highly in…

noun

Intention or purpose.

Usage examples:

With alarm she realized his intent

adjective

Determined to do (something).

Usage examples:

The government was intent on achieving greater efficiency

adjective

Having or showing eagerness or enthusiasm.

Usage examples:

A keen gardener

verb

Wail in grief for a dead person.

Usage examples:

The body of johnny was taken by his own people who keened over him

noun

An irish funeral song accompanied by wailing in lamentation for the dead.

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

Quick to notice or perceive things.

Usage examples:

Her observant eye took in every detail

noun

A member of a branch of the franciscan order that followed a strict rule.

Usage examples:

A classic example was the franciscan observant friar bernardino of siena, whose cult of the name of…

adjective

Quick to notice things

Usage examples:

Carrie has a clear, observant eye., observant of cultural traditions

verb

Go into or through (something), especially with force or effort.

Usage examples:

The shrapnel had penetrated his head

verb

Pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance

verb

To move into or through something

Usage examples:

[ i ] the drill isn’t sharp enough to penetrate into the rock., [ t ] women have begun to penetrate…

adjective

Able to make a way through or into something.

Usage examples:

The problem of penetrating damp

verb

Go into or through (something), especially with force or effort.

Usage examples:

The shrapnel had penetrated his head

adjective

Able to make a way into or through something.

Usage examples:

The gunpowder weapons have extra penetrative power

adjective

Involving movement into or through something or someone

Usage examples:

A penetrative thrust/attack, penetrative sex, a penetrative remark

adjective

Having or showing sensitive insight.

Usage examples:

An extraordinarily perceptive account of their relationship

adjective

Able to notice and understand things that many other people do not notice

Usage examples:

Her books are full of perceptive insights.

adjective

Having good insight or understanding; perceptive.

Usage examples:

He is a percipient interpreter of the public mood

noun

(especially in philosophy or with reference to psychic phenomena) a person who is able to perceive things.

Usage examples:

Results indicated that one of the percipients ' reports should be evaluated with special caution.

adjective

Good at noticing and understanding things

verb

(of a liquid or gas) filter gradually through a porous surface or substance.

Usage examples:

The water percolating through the soil may leach out minerals

verb

(of a liquid) to move through a substance by going through very small spaces within it

Usage examples:

Underground water had percolated through the soil to form puddles.

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

verb

Spread throughout (something); pervade.

Usage examples:

The aroma of soup permeated the air

verb

To spread through something and be present in every part of it

Usage examples:

The smell of detergent and bleach permeated the air.

adjective

Having a ready insight into and understanding of things.

Usage examples:

It offers quite a few facts to the perspicacious reporter

verb

(especially of a smell) spread through and be perceived in every part of.

Usage examples:

A smell of stale cabbage pervaded the air

verb

To spread through all parts of something

Usage examples:

The influence of the early jazz musicians pervades american music.

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…

adjective

Inquiring closely into something; searching.

Usage examples:

She asks some probing questions

verb

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

Usage examples:

Hands probed his body from top to bottom

adjective

(of a question) difficult to answer without telling the truth

Usage examples:

Probing questions

verb

Strike with the fist.

Usage examples:

He punched her in the face and ran off

noun

A blow with the fist.

Usage examples:

He reeled under the well-aimed punch

verb

A device or machine for making holes in materials such as paper, leather, or metal.

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

Able to react quickly and skillfully

noun

A question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning.

Usage examples:

They started asking riddles and telling jokes

verb

Speak in or pose riddles.

Usage examples:

He who knows not how to riddle

noun

A large coarse sieve, especially one used for separating ashes from cinders or sand from gravel.

Usage examples:

For inside the mill, the shelling stones began to turn, the riddles (large-meshed sieves) rhythmica…

adjective

Thoroughly scrutinizing, especially in a disconcerting way.

Usage examples:

You have to ask yourselves some searching questions

verb

Try to find something by looking or otherwise seeking carefully and thoroughly.

Usage examples:

I searched among the rocks, but there was nothing

adjective

Intended to discover the hidden truth

Usage examples:

Fran stared hard, her searching gaze trying to get him to admit what he knew.

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

Having or showing sharp powers of judgement; astute.

Usage examples:

She was shrewd enough to guess the motive behind his gesture

adjective

Able to judge a situation accurately and turn it to your own advantage

Usage examples:

He’s a very shrewd businessman., barbara made some shrewd investments.

adjective

Able to judge people and situations well and make good decisions

Usage examples:

My one big regret is about money - i wish i'd been more shrewd., simon is an extremely shrewd busin…

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

noun

A device by which a flow of liquid or gas from a pipe or container can be controlled.

Usage examples:

She turned the cold tap on

verb

Draw liquid through the tap or spout of (a cask, barrel, or other container).

Usage examples:

Several barrels had been tapped to celebrate old victories

noun

A quick light blow, or the sound of such a blow.

Usage examples:

There was a sharp tap at the door

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 …