PIERCES Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

pierces

verb

present tense third-person singular of pierce

as in penetrates

to go or come in or into thoughts of revenge relentlessly pierced her mind

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in drills

to make a hole or series of holes in pierced his ears with a needle

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stabs

to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object the saber pierced his chest, releasing a spurt of blood

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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 pierces An ice sculpture of a heart includes a tube through the ice arrow that pierces the heart. — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 10 July 2026 And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old? — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026 Lockwood’s music instills joy in listening, and such revitalized desire leaves your body freshly tender, sensitive to whatever pierces the ear. — Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026 Piercing the Stones mythology Spitz’s deep reporting often pierces the mythology surrounding the band. — Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026 Its 1959 Googie-style sign pierces the sky, a beacon of hope for weary road-trippers cruising this achingly lonely stretch of highway. — Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026 Lower the heat to medium-high and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and a paring knife easily pierces a potato, about 15 minutes. — C.w. Cameron, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026 Because of the way the director works, emotions tend to be more discussed than felt, although there’s something about Carla’s desperation that pierces through all the soberness. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026 Nothing that pierces the skin should ever be used as leverage over a child's opportunity to education and to learn. — CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pierces

Verb

The latter, on the other hand, has a smaller molecular makeup that penetrates deeper into the skin and provides longer lasting moisture retention.

— Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2026
Make sure water penetrates to the deep roots in addition to wetting surface roots.

— Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of penetrates

Verb

Berrios is sidelined right now by a soft tissue injury but was running pretty well on the side of team drills Monday.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026
Other notes from Panthers-Jaguars practice First-round pick rookie offensive tackle Monroe Freeling held his own in one-on-one drills as well as team drills in practice on Wednesday.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of drills

Verb

But before Bane can finish him off, Batman stabs a Batarang into a little knob on Bane’s wrist gauntlet, the one that controls his intake of Venom.

— Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
When Little Death stabs into their victim, there’s a geyser of blood, way more than could fit inside a human body.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of stabs

Verb

Yet even as his tenure enters its countdown, Duffy continues to lead a critical fight over the regulatory boundaries of derivatives markets.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
The Moon enters Pisces and your 1st House of Self, bringing your mood, body, instincts, and personal needs into focus.

— Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of enters

Verb

That Febreze bottle is empty and the scented candle burned out — the current Giants’ stink punches you right in the nose, mouth and eyes.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
After a 20-yard throw and catch, Andrew Chung to Yuto Kawamura-Johnson, Warriors RB Jayden Ammons punches it in for a 1-yard TD.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of punches

Verb

That’s because when a snake bites and punctures the skin and transfers venom into the victim’s body, the venom attacks the skin, soft tissue and connective tissue beneath it.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
If a foreign object punctures the tread or sidewall, your tire can deflate slowly or quickly, depending on the puncture.

— Jason Fogelson, AJC.com, 29 May 2026

Definition of punctures

Verb

This primary suite also accesses the large rear deck, which is about 40 feet long.

— James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
Organizations must extend hygiene to AI systems by securing training data, confirming model integrity, safeguarding prompts and outputs, preventing model poisoning and adversarial attacks, and controlling how AI accesses company data.

— Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of accesses

Verb

Upgrade a Laundry Room Vent holes in a laundry room might call to mind a traditional airing cupboard, but perhaps counterintuitively, that term actually refers to a heated cupboard for keeping towels dry rather than one in which air freely circulates.

— Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026
Caulk holes around plumbing and sewer lines where roaches are likely to enter.

— Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 4 June 2026

Definition of holes

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“Pierces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pierces. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pierces

verb

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