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puncture Definition

punc·ture (puŋkc̸hər)

noun

  1. the act or an instance of perforating or piercing
  2. a hole made by a sharp point, as in an automobile tire, the skin, etc.

Etymology: ME < L punctura, a pricking < L pungere, to pierce: see point

transitive verb -·tured, -·tur·ing

  1. to perforate or pierce with a sharp point
  2. to reduce or put an end to, as if by a puncture to puncture one's pride

intransitive verb

to be punctured

puncture Related Forms

punc·tur·able adjective

puncture Synonyms

puncture

n.

  1. Hole

    cut, break, perforation; see hole 1.

  2. A flat tire

    flat, leak, slow leak.

puncture Synonyms

puncture

v.

puncture Usage Examples

Object

  • lung: The second time, he punctured a lung in a biking accident.
  • tire: Would you replace a punctured tire or call for help?
  • myth: Finally Dr. Finch punctures the myth that identity theft is all about money.

Converse of object

  • mend: Don't waste time trying to mend a puncture by the side of the road.
  • fix: Learn to fix a puncture or change your brake blocks.
  • suffer: At 29 miles Curran suffered a front wheel puncture on a descent.

Adjective modifier

  • lumbar: A lumbar puncture was taken which didn't show anything.
  • dural: Accidental dural puncture is usually easily recognized by the immediate loss of CSF through the epidural needle.
  • arterial: To avoid arterial puncture the operator's fingers gently pull the carotid artery away from the midline.
  • accidental: Accidental puncture of the artery which may cause bleeding.
  • slow: Without them, the circle gets blown out or goes into slow puncture.

Modifies a noun

  • wound: They cause tiny puncture wounds in the skin which are very itchy.
  • sealant: We have discontinued the liquid puncture sealant because it isn't very effective.
  • resistant: All our bikes have ' puncture resistant ' tires.
  • repair: Should I use a puncture repair kit or just replace the inner tube?
  • kit: Should I use a puncture repair kit or just replace the inner tube?
  • resistance: Avoid cheap tires, that don't offer good grip, or puncture resistance.

Noun used with modifier

  • lumber: At the hospital i had blood tests, another MRI but the thing i was most scared of was the lumber puncture.
  • artery: At the puncture site Some bruising is common after an artery puncture.
  • tire: Pretty scary getting a front tire puncture at nearly 40 mph.

Browse dictionary entries near puncture

  1. punctulate
  2. punctuation mark
  3. punctuation
  4. punctuated equilibrium
  5. punctuate
  6. punctuality
  7. punctual
  8. punctilious
  9. punctilio
  10. punctate
  1. punctured
  2. pundit
  3. Pune
  4. pung
  5. pungent
  6. Punic
  7. Punic Wars
  8. puniness
  9. punish
  10. punishable