PUNCTURES Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

punctures 1 of 2

noun

plural of puncture

as in punches

a mark or small hole made by a pointed instrument a leak caused by several small punctures in the rubber gasket

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

punctures

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of puncture

as in pierces

to make a hole or series of holes in a nail punctured the tire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stabs

to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object I could never puncture my own skin with a hypodermic needle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 punctures

Noun

According to the Mayo Clinic, Pilonidal disease usually occurs when hair punctures and embeds itself in a pocket of skin near the tailbone. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026 To help future researchers, the study also includes a tooth mark guide that describes and identifies several types of punctures, holes, and other marks on fossils that appear to be tooth marks. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 July 2026 What the data punctures is the assumption that every task needs a frontier model, priced like one. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 The boy bore no signs of scrapes or skin punctures, so the family initially didn’t take him for medical care. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 29 June 2026 Sure enough, all tires were up and there were no obvious punctures or hissing sounds. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 28 June 2026 Note that good quality options are made of polyvinyl chloride, nylon or polyester fabric that resists tears and punctures. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026 This design allows for enhanced thermal stability and resistance to physical damage such as punctures. — Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 10 June 2026 The minimally invasive technique uses small needle punctures instead of larger surgical incisions, which can help reduce pain and speed up recovery for patients. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 7 June 2026

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 In worst-case scenarios, the ice punctures the hull. — Deena Theresa, Interesting Engineering, 28 May 2026 Joel, a 19‑year veteran, begins pursuing after another officer deploys a spike strip and punctures the Challenger's tires. — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026 The narrower design, combined with the several sharp teeth, effectively punctures through tough pepper skin and hard fruits to cut out the core and remove seeds in a matter of seconds. — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026 But Anderson punctures his weed haze with the bright light of a past that in actuality never dimmed, when Lockjaw begins to hunt Pat and Willa. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025 Recounting his visit with Shelton’s body after she’d been taken off of life support in From Bleak to Dark, Maron punctures the somber scene with a joke about taking a selfie. — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for punctures

Noun

No punches were thrown, and Oruwariye and Knight were separated quickly.

— Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
During Monday’s press conference, Bessent sought to tamp down on criticism that the administration was pulling its punches.

— Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of punches

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

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

In historical terms, this drought is far from their longest, but no team has won the Premier League more times than them (13), and limbo jabs at a leviathan.

— George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Michigan Dem hopeful Abdul El-Sayed jabs CNN giving him 'non-consensual colonoscopy' in recent interviews.

— , FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of jabs

Noun

The space is also equipped with 18-way adaptive sport seats featuring 14,417 perforations organized to form a coherent visual pattern and a headrest with a special 75th anniversary logo.

— Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2026
Michelle Buzz of the American alternative pop duo Haute & Freddy brought a Victorian shoe look to the stage with a calf-height white boot featuring a lace-up shaft, sculptural block heel and perforations.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 31 July 2026

Definition of perforations

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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punctured

punctures

puncturing

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Style

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

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Synonyms of punctures

noun

verb

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