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.
  • When air can’t penetrate the soil, roots may grow up to seek it.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2022
  • But at the same time, the work does penetrate my dreams or my sleep.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The songs and chants will penetrate your skull, and won’t fade for days.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2026
  • Spinosad is a spray that can be used and may penetrate down to the petals in a bud.
    — oregonlive, 24 July 2021
  • None of it was loud enough to penetrate the volume of the crowds.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2024
  • One round managed to penetrate the walls of the house.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Rub wood stain over the area to penetrate raw wood, then quickly wipe clean.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2022
  • This process occurs on the deep ocean floor, where light cannot penetrate.
    — Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 2025
  • One round penetrated the walls of the house.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Mar. 2026
  • In last year’s strikes, bombs were dropped down air vents to penetrate deep chambers.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Can truth still penetrate the public space?
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Make sure the wood has been dusted so the oils can penetrate the surface.
    — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, 28 Dec. 2020
  • Fans on the lawn cried out as each arrow penetrated his chest.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 June 2026
  • The spray foam clings to all sides of the grates to better penetrate messes.
    — Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 17 May 2022
  • Turns out this piece of grass had penetrated her skin and caused an abscess.
    — Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • 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
  • Use the tip of your tongue to penetrate around the hole and the flat part of your tongue to lick some areas.
    — Ian Kumamoto, Them, 25 Mar. 2025
  • The moist soil from the rainfall helps the heat penetrate deeply into the colony.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 17 June 2026
  • Large wood chips and pine bark nuggets allow the most air and water to penetrate through.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Sunscreens need to be able to block those rays from penetrating the skin.
    — Guy German, Fortune, 21 June 2026
  • Sunscreens need to be able to block those rays from penetrating the skin.
    — Guy German, The Conversation, 18 June 2026
  • The gun went off and a bullet penetrated his head.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Add the scallions and squeeze again so that the scallion juices penetrate the wheat.
    — Linda Gassenheimer, Boston Herald, 27 May 2026
  • At least one bullet penetrated the side of the house.
    — Jodi Guglielmi, VIBE.com, 9 Mar. 2026
  • At least one bullet penetrated the side of the house.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026

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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