"penetrate" in the verb sense

1. penetrate, perforate

pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance

"The bullet penetrated her chest"

2. penetrate, fathom, bottom

come to understand

3. click, get through, dawn, come home, get across, sink in, penetrate, fall into place

become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

"It dawned on him that she had betrayed him"

"she was penetrated with sorrow"

4. infiltrate, penetrate

enter a group or organization in order to spy on the members

"The student organization was infiltrated by a traitor"

5. penetrate

make one's way deeper into or through

"The hikers did not manage to penetrate the dense forest"

6. penetrate

insert the penis into the vagina or anus of

"Did the molester penetrate the child?"

7. permeate, pervade, penetrate, interpenetrate, diffuse, imbue, riddle

spread or diffuse through

"An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration"

"music penetrated the entire building"

"His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks"

Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)

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