lacerate

1 of 2

verb

lac·​er·​ate ˈla-sə-ˌrāt How to pronounce lacerate (audio)
lacerated; lacerating

transitive verb

1
: to tear or rend roughly : wound jaggedly
2
: to cause sharp mental or emotional pain to : distress
lacerative adjective

lacerate

2 of 2

adjective

lac·​er·​ate ˈla-sə-rət How to pronounce lacerate (audio) -ˌrāt How to pronounce lacerate (audio)
variants or lacerated
1
a
: torn jaggedly : mangled
b
: extremely harrowed or distracted
2
: having the edges deeply and irregularly cut
a lacerate petal

Examples of lacerate in a Sentence

Verb The broken glass lacerated his feet. The patient's hand was severely lacerated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Down the street, a mule lay panting on its side, its skin lacerated from shrapnel. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024 With lacerating humor and a multitude of similarly revealing moments, Colored Television illuminates the axes around which its novelist protagonist Jane's life teeters. Carole V. Bell, NPR, 9 Sep. 2024
Adjective
Reared in New York’s indelicate political culture, Trump does not like to appear meek, using rallies and his Twitter account to lacerate rivals. Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 9 July 2018 Reared in New York's indelicate political culture, Trump does not like to appear meek, using rallies and his Twitter account to lacerate rivals. Author: Paul Schwartzman, Josh Dawsey, Anchorage Daily News, 9 July 2018 See all Example Sentences for lacerate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lacerate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Latin laceratus, past participle of lacerare to tear; akin to Greek lakis tear

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1514, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of lacerate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near lacerate

Cite this Entry

“Lacerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lacerate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

lacerate

verb
lac·​er·​ate
ˈlas-ə-ˌrāt
lacerated; lacerating
: to tear roughly : injure by tearing
a lacerated knee

Medical Definition

lacerate

transitive verb
lac·​er·​ate ˈlas-ə-ˌrāt How to pronounce lacerate (audio)
lacerated; lacerating
: to tear or rend roughly : wound jaggedly
a lacerated spleen
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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