Library / English Dictionary

PUNCTURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of puncturing or perforating

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("puncture" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "puncture"):

centesis ((surgery) the act of puncturing a body cavity or organ with a hollow needle in order to draw out fluid)

perforation (the act of punching a hole (especially a row of holes as for ease of separation))

prick; pricking (the act of puncturing with a small point)

venipuncture ((medicine) puncture of a vein through the skin in order to withdraw blood for analysis or to start an intravenous drip or to inject medication or a radiopaque dye)

Derivation:

puncture (be pierced or punctured)

puncture (pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A small hole made by a sharp object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("puncture" is a kind of...):

hole (an opening deliberately made in or through something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "puncture"):

pinhole (a small puncture that might have been made by a pin)

pinprick (small puncture (as if made by a pin))

Derivation:

puncture (be pierced or punctured)

puncture (pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into)

puncture (make by piercing)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Loss of air pressure in a tire when a hole is made by some sharp object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("puncture" is a kind of...):

misadventure; mischance; mishap (an instance of misfortune)

Derivation:

puncture (be pierced or punctured)

puncture (cause to lose air pressure or collapse by piercing)

puncture (pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be pierced or punctured

Example:

The tire punctured

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "puncture" is one way to...):

break; come apart; fall apart; separate; split up (become separated into pieces or fragments)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

puncture (the act of puncturing or perforating)

puncture (a small hole made by a sharp object)

puncture (loss of air pressure in a tire when a hole is made by some sharp object)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause to lose air pressure or collapse by piercing

Example:

puncture an air balloon

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "puncture" is one way to...):

decompress; depressurise; depressurize (decrease the pressure of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

puncture (loss of air pressure in a tire when a hole is made by some sharp object)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Reduce or lessen the size or importance of

Example:

The bad review of his work deflated his self-confidence

Synonyms:

deflate; puncture

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "puncture" is one way to...):

deprecate; depreciate; vilipend (belittle)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into

Example:

puncture a tire

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "puncture" is one way to...):

pierce (make a hole into)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "puncture"):

scarify (puncture and scar (the skin), as for purposes or tribal identification or rituals)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

puncture (the act of puncturing or perforating)

puncture (a small hole made by a sharp object)

puncture (loss of air pressure in a tire when a hole is made by some sharp object)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Make by piercing

Example:

puncture a hole

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "puncture" is one way to...):

create; make (make or cause to be or to become)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

puncture (a small hole made by a sharp object)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Headache in erect position, after lumbar puncture; due to lowering of intracranial pressure by leakage of cerebrospinal fluid through the needle tract.

(Lumbar Puncture Headache, NCI Thesaurus)

EXAMPLE(S): For a specimen collection, the methodCode could = "finger stick", "veni puncture", "Abdominal/ascites effusion", "Biopsy", "Bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL)".

(Defined Procedure Method Code, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

Earwax build-up, fluid, or a punctured eardrum can cause it.

(Hearing Disorders and Deafness, NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)

EXAMPLE(S): Finger stick, veni puncture, Abdominal/ascites effusion, Biopsy, Bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL) (for specimen collection), laparoscopic (for cholecystectomy)

(Performed Procedure Method Code, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

EXAMPLE(S): Arterial puncture, sphygmomanometry (for blood pressure measurement)Global introspection, algorithm, bayesian (for Adverse Event causality)Estrogen Receptor Assay, Progesterone Receptor Assay, p53 Assay (for clinical result assay)

(Performed Observation Method Code, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

EXAMPLE(S): Arterial puncture, sphygmomanometry (for blood pressure measurement) Global introspection, algorithm, Bayesian (for Adverse Event causality)Estrogen Receptor Assay, Progesterone Receptor Assay, p53 Assay (for clinical result assay)

(Defined Observation Method Code, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

It did not convey much to me, until I reached a passage where it described small punctured wounds on their throats.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Just over the external jugular vein there were two punctures, not large, but not wholesome-looking.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I think I must have continued my wonder in my dreams, for, sleeping and waking, my thoughts always came back to the little punctures in her throat and the ragged, exhausted appearance of their edges—tiny though they were.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)