the act of piercing or perforating, as with a pointed instrument or object.
2.
a hole or mark so made.
3.
Zoology. a small pointlike depression.
verb (used with object), punctured, puncturing.
4.
to pierce or perforate, as with a pointed instrument:
to puncture leather with an awl.
5.
to make (a hole, perforation, etc.) by piercing or perforating:
He punctured a row of holes in the cardboard.
6.
to make a puncture in:
A piece of glass punctured the tire.
7.
to reduce or diminish as if by piercing; damage; wound:
to puncture a person's pride.
8.
to cause to collapse or disintegrate; spoil; ruin:
to puncture one's dream of success.
verb (used without object), punctured, puncturing.
9.
to become punctured:
These tires do not puncture easily.
Origin
1350-1400;Middle English < Latinpūnctūra a pricking, equivalent to pūnct(us) (past participle of pungere to pierce; see pungent), + -ūra-ure
Related forms
puncturable, adjective
punctureless, adjective
puncturer, noun
nonpuncturable, adjective
unpunctured, adjective
Synonyms
2. break, rupture, perforation.
Examples from the web for puncture
A needle was used to puncture a goiter, and the material issuing was characterized.
British Dictionary definitions for puncture
puncture
/ˈpʌŋktʃə/
noun
1.
a small hole made by a sharp object
2.
a perforation and loss of pressure in a pneumatic tyre, made by sharp stones, glass, etc
3.
the act of puncturing or perforating
verb
4.
(transitive) to pierce (a hole) in (something) with a sharp object
5.
to cause (something pressurized, esp a tyre) to lose pressure by piercing, or (of a tyre, etc) to be pierced and collapse in this way
6.
(transitive) to depreciate (a person's self-esteem, pomposity, etc)
Derived Forms
puncturable, adjective puncturer, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Latin punctūra, from pungere to prick
Word Origin and History for puncture
n.
late 14c., from Late Latin punctura "a pricking," from Latin punctus, past participle of pungere "to prick, pierce" (see pungent).
v.
1690s, from puncture (n.). Related: Punctured; puncturing.
puncture in Medicine
puncture punc·ture (pŭngk'chər) v.punc·tured, punc·tur·ing, punc·tures To pierce with a pointed object, as with a needle. n. A hole or depression made by a sharp object. Also called centesis.