How to Use penetrate in a Sentence

penetrate

verb
  • The heat penetrated through the wall.
  • The bullet failed to penetrate.
  • My car's headlights couldn't penetrate the dense fog.
  • The roots of these plants have been known to penetrate to a depth of more than 15 feet.
  • These bullets can penetrate armor.
  • Look for the Stags to penetrate and kick the ball out to a shooter or play out of the low post.
    Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 15 Nov. 2022
  • When air can’t penetrate the soil, roots may grow up to seek it.
    Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2022
  • The bird is then stored in the fridge for 1-2 days to allow the seasonings to penetrate the meat.
    Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2024
  • What if the trauma is a place that time cannot penetrate?
    Ursula Lindsey, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022
  • There was a sharp pain in his left hand as the fangs penetrated just below the thumb.
    Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024
  • Make sure to pierce the chicken pieces with a fork to allow the brine to penetrate deep inside.
    Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 5 July 2024
  • In the spring, if the ground is not too frozen, snow melt penetrates into the ground, aiding the first crops of the season, Vavrus explained.
    Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
  • The danger lies in the foxtail’s ability to penetrate the skin, ears, eyes, nose and mouth of dogs.
    Lisa Bloch, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
  • In the spring, if the ground is not too frozen, snow melt penetrates into the ground, aiding the first crops of the season, Vavrus explained.
    Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2024
  • Third-degree burns are the most severe and penetrate through the entire skin.
    Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023
  • The lotion worked well only at spots where the skin was thin, and couldn’t penetrate deep enough where the skin was thicker.
    Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 16 Sep. 2024
  • Dayan said the raid would also help in smoothing the way for the next time Israeli forces penetrate into Gaza.
    Saeed Shah, WSJ, 26 Oct. 2023
  • But thicker areas like your hands or feet, an over-the counter-cream doesn't penetrate as well.
    Taylyn Washington-Harmon, Health, 29 June 2023
  • Why couldn’t the White House press corps penetrate the wall of protection around the president?
    Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 July 2024
  • Allow the stain remover to penetrate the stain for 20 minutes.
    Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 July 2024
  • Many times Clark would penetrate the paint but be unable to create a layup as Cardoso loomed large.
    Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
  • The goal is to penetrate rock at faster speeds, to greater depths, and at a lower cost than conventional drills do.
    IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024
  • Most injuries that penetrate the dermis below the top layer of skin will leave a scar.
    Christopher Bergland, Verywell Health, 23 July 2024
  • Scoring the fat cap helps the seasoning penetrate the meat.
    Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 31 Oct. 2023
  • The rain tended to trickle off the compact surface rather than penetrate into the snow and melt it.
    WIRED, 18 Jan. 2023
  • Also, a slew of small arms from Libya penetrated the black market in the 2010s, experts say.
    Isabelle Chapman, CNN, 13 Oct. 2023
  • The point of this was twofold: the smaller molecular weight allows the product to penetrate deeper into the hair strand.
    Megan Decker, refinery29.com, 31 May 2023
  • Most anglers just rinse their fly reels off with freshwater, but that water may not penetrate and flush the coils of thick line on the spool.
    Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Dec. 2023
  • This serum forms a seal on each strand to prevent humidity from penetrating, which ultimately keeps hair from frizzing.
    Lisa Desantis, Glamour, 15 Oct. 2024
  • But what is good for Japanese producers has become a tougher market for Hollywood to penetrate.
    Patrick Frater, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024

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

Last Updated: