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
  • But at the same time, the work does penetrate my dreams or my sleep.
    Selome Hailu, Variety, 13 Dec. 2024
  • 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
  • The spores penetrate the ant’s body without killing it.
    Matt Kasson, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024
  • The spray foam clings to all sides of the grates to better penetrate messes.
    Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 17 May 2022
  • 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
  • Rub wood stain over the area to penetrate raw wood, then quickly wipe clean.
    Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2022
  • 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
  • The pilot hole depth only needs to be 70 percent of the depth the screw will penetrate into the wood.
    Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 30 Nov. 2024
  • The blade should easily penetrate the soil to a depth of 6 inches.
    Joe Lindsey, Popular Mechanics, 5 May 2022
  • 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
  • And there are three kinds of infrared rays—near, mid and far—all of which penetrate your body to different depths.
    Garrett Munce, Town & Country, 13 Apr. 2022
  • 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
  • Observing at longer wavelengths using ALMA, the researchers could penetrate dust clouds and reveal a clump of dust at the outer edge of the two planets’ orbits.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The medium admits self-portraiture with obvious ease (just step in front of the camera), but few filmmakers can withstand its penetrating gaze, which is surely why the practice self-selects toward the masters of the art.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 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.

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