impaled

verb

past tense of impale
as in stabbed
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object impale a marshmallow or two on that stick and let's start toasting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impaled Just as Wolvie is hot on their trail, he’s impaled by a harpoon and the demo sadly comes to an end. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 Rhaenyra is called into her chambers to find the window open, and Helaena impaled dead on the spikes below, one spike garrishly sticking out of her neck. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 David Cifaldi of Billings fell while hiking at high elevation and unintentionally impaled himself on one of his own trekking poles. — Kris Millgate, Outdoor Life, 29 July 2026 The involved vehicle struck a metal railing and was then impaled by it, according to a CHP incident log. — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026 The person was also reportedly impaled by a tree branch, which first responders declined to remove during the transport process. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026 The black rhino, which weighed approximately 2,900 pounds, charged at van Jaarsveld and fatally impaled him. — Ryan Brennan april 27, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026 Lind — despite being stabbed in the eye and impaled with a samurai sword — managed to survive the attack. — Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026 The few Alawite religious leaders who dared to remain in Aleppo and resist were captured, impaled on metal spikes, and displayed in public squares. — Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impaled
  1. stabbed
  2. pierced
  3. punctured
  4. jabbed
  5. picked
  6. stuck
Verb
  • Two people were stabbed, one fatally, near Times Square on Monday afternoon, with responding authorities shooting and killing the female suspect, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
  • One of the two people who was stabbed also died, while the other victim was hospitalized in stable condition.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of stabbed
Verb
  • Her brown leather jacket was pierced with 60 stab wounds, and her throat had been slashed nearly ear to ear.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Investigators believe the bullet that pierced the restaurant window was fired from inside a passing vehicle on Vista Village Drive.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of pierced
Verb
  • The solar panel that powers the camera was punctured and shattered.
    — Haley Parsley August 22, Sacbee.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The barrel had been punctured several times and dumped far offshore, Spencer said, but whoever discarded the remains likely never imagined the reservoir’s shoreline would one day retract hundreds of feet.
    — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of punctured
Verb
  • Workers have been increasingly jabbed while on the job as needle-style medications — more specifically GLP-1s — have risen in popularity.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu jabbed back against the prevailing narrative yesterday, saying she was never invited to participate in the WNBA’s 3-point contest this weekend.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of jabbed
Verb
  • Each flower must be picked and carefully dissected to remove three tiny red threads, known as stigmas.
    — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Kreeger and Fernandez Rundle picked through hundreds of dresses, shoes, T-shirts and designer jeans.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of picked
Verb
  • After being stuck open in the rain, fans cheered when the roof closed.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Kohl’s decided in 2016 to close one of its big box stores in Roswell, but no one knew the building’s fate would be stuck in purgatory for the next decade.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of stuck

Browse Nearby Words

impale
impaled
impales
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Impaled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impaled. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All