Definition of 'puncture'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense punctures
, present participle puncturing
, past tense, past participle punctured
1. countable noun
A puncture is a small hole in a car tyre or bicycle tyre that has been made by a sharp object.
2. countable noun
3. verb
If a sharp object punctures something, it makes a hole in it.
4. verb
If a car tyre or bicycle tyre punctures or if someone or something punctures it, a hole is made in the tyre.
5. verb
If someone's feelings or beliefs are punctured, their feelings or beliefs are made to seem wrong or foolish, especially when this makes the person feel disappointed or upset.
[Also VERB noun]Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
You may also like
Word Frequency
puncture in British English
verb
5.
to cause (something pressurized, esp a tyre) to lose pressure by piercing, or (of a tyre, etc) to be pierced and collapse in this way
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
puncturable (ˈpuncturable) adjective
puncturer (ˈpuncturer)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Latin punctūra, from pungere to prick
Word Frequency
puncture in American English
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.
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈpunctured or ˈpuncturing
3.
to perforate or pierce with a sharp point
4.
to reduce or put an end to, as if by a puncture
to puncture one's pride
verb intransitive
5.
to be punctured
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
puncturable (ˈpuncturable)
adjective
Word Frequency
puncture in American English
(ˈpʌŋktʃər) (verb -tured, -turing)
noun
1.
the act of piercing or perforating, as with a pointed instrument or object
2.
a hole or mark so made
transitive verb
4.
to pierce or perforate, as with a pointed instrument
to puncture leather with an awl
5.
to make (a hole, perforation, etc.) by piercing or perforating
He punctured a row of holes in the cardboard
6.
to make a puncture in
A piece of glass punctured the tire
intransitive verb
SYNONYMS 2. break, rupture, perforation.9.
to become punctured
These tires do not puncture easily
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
puncturable adjective
punctureless
adjective
puncturer
noun
Word origin
[1350–1400; ME ‹ L pūnctūra a pricking, equiv. to pūnct(us) (ptp. of pungere to pierce; see pungent), + -ūra -ure]Examples of 'puncture' in a sentence
puncture
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content that does not reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company HarperCollins.
We welcome feedback: report an example sentence to the Collins team. Read more…
Trends of
puncture
View usage for:
Source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
In other languages
puncture
British English: puncture
/ˈpʌŋktʃə/ NOUN
A puncture is a small hole in a car or bicycle tyre that has been made by a sharp object.
Somebody helped me to fix the puncture.
- American English: puncture /ˈpʌŋktʃər/
- Arabic: ثَقْب
- Brazilian Portuguese: furo orifício
- Chinese: 刺孔
- Croatian: probušena guma
- Czech: píchnutí pneumatiky
- Danish: punktering
- Dutch: gaatje
- European Spanish: pinchazo neumático
- Finnish: reikä renkaassa
- French: crevaison
- German: Einstich
- Greek: διάτρηση
- Italian: foratura
- Japanese: 刺し穴
- Korean: (찔려서 난) 구멍
- Norwegian: punktering
- Polish: przebicie
- European Portuguese: furo
- Romanian: străpungere
- Russian: прокол
- Latin American Spanish: pinchazo perforfación
- Swedish: punktering
- Thai: ยางแบน
- Turkish: patlak
- Ukrainian: прокол
- Vietnamese: lỗ thủng
British English: puncture
VERB /ˈpʌŋktʃə/
If a sharp object punctures something, it makes a hole in it.
The bullet punctured the skull.
Browse alphabetically
puncture
Related terms of
puncture
Source
Definition of puncture from the Collins English Dictionary
Read about the team of authors behind Collins Dictionaries.
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
BUILDINGS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
hospital
police station
tower block
cinema
BUILDINGS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
school
theatre
museum
supermarket
BUILDINGS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
cathedral
tower block
supermarket
stadium
BUILDINGS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
hairdresser
cathedral
hospital
museum
Your score:
Word of the day
greenwash
Greenwash is an attempt by businesses to seem environmentally friendly without actually doing anything serious to protect the environment.
Latest Word Submissions
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
SPORTS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
skiing
badminton
ice skating
golf
SPORTS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
rugby
hurdles
pole vault
climbing
SPORTS
Drag the correct answer into the box.
darts
fishing
sailing
snorkelling
Your score:
Learning English: the time
Time for a new Learning English blog! Learn more about how to tell the time and how to answer 'when' questions in English.
Read more
Learning English: Months of the year
Learn how to speak about the months of the year, and give information about important dates. Improve your English with Collins.
Read more
Learning English: Days of the week
Learn how to discuss what happens on different days of the week, whether you want to make plans for the day or talk about weekly routines.
Read more
Learning English: Going shopping
Discover some useful English expressions to use while you're out at the shops in this week's Learning English blog.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more