punc·ture (pŭngk'chər)

v., -tured, -tur·ing, -tures.

v.tr.

1. To pierce with a pointed object.
2. To make (a hole) by piercing.
3. To cause to collapse by piercing.
4. To depreciate or deflate: cutting remarks that punctured my ego.

v.intr.
To be pierced or punctured.

n.

1. The act or an instance of puncturing.
2. A hole or depression made by a sharp object, especially a hole in an automotive tire.

[From Middle English, a pricking, from Late Latin pūnctūra, from pūnctus, past participle of pungere, to prick.]

puncturable punc'tur·a·ble adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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