perforate Hear it!

perforate Definition

per·fo·rate (pʉrfə rāt′; for adj., -rit, -rāt′)

transitive verb, intransitive verb -·rat′ed, -·rat′·ing

  1. to make a hole or holes through, as by punching or boring; pierce; penetrate
  2. to pierce with holes in a row, as a pattern, computer tape, sheet of stamps, etc.

Etymology: < L perforatus, pp. of perforare < per, through + forare, to bore

adjective

perforated

perforate Related Forms
per·fo·rable (-fə rə bəl) adjective per·fo·ra′·tor noun
perforate Synonyms

perforate

v.

drill, slit, stab; see penetrate 1.

perforate Usage Examples

Object

  • vein: The two systems are linked periodically by perforating veins.
  • injury: In this study, only perforating ocular injuries were looked at rather than the whole spectrum of eye trauma cases.
  • wall: Using sharp scissor dissection, the polyp is excised taking not to perforate the bowel wall, leaving the submucosa and muscle layers intact.
  • machine: The official perforating machine was introduced at this time.
  • tool: A comprehensive analysis of this material produced a picture of a very specialized production mostly orientated to perforating tools.
  • paper: Then it stopped shredding altogether and simply perforates the paper and is now useless.