penetrate (redirected from penetrates)

penetrate something with something

to pierce something with something. I could not even penetrate the steel door with a cold chisel. It was easy to penetrate the lid with a can opener.

penetrate into someone or something

to pierce into someone or something; to stick deep into someone or something. The lance penetrated into the knight, right through his armor. The bullet penetrated into the wall.

penetrate through something

to pierce all the way through something. (Some people will view the through as redundant.) The bullet could not penetrate through the metal plating. It did not have enough force to penetrate through the steel.

See also: through