penetrate

verb (MOVE INTO)

/ˈpen.ɪ.treɪt/

Definition

› [I or T] to move into or through something: Amazingly, the bullet did not penetrate his brain. In a normal winter, the frost penetrates deeply enough to kill off insect eggs in the soil. The organization had been penetrated by a spy. The company has been successful in penetrating overseas markets this year.Crossing and moving through › [T] If your eyes penetrate somewhere dark, you manage to see through it: Our eyes couldn't penetrate the dark/the gloom of the inner cave.Using the eyesEyesight, glasses and lensesThe eye and surrounding areaPerceptive

(Definition of penetrate verb (MOVE INTO) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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