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Definition of "perforate" []

  • To pierce, punch, or bore a hole or holes in; penetrate. (verb-transitive)
  • To pierce or stamp with rows of holes, as those between postage stamps, to allow easy separation. (verb-transitive)
  • To pass into or through something. (verb-intransitive)
  • Having been perforated. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "perforate" in a sentence
  • "It is probably derived from a root meaning "to bore," "perforate," and hence denotes perforated wind instruments of all kinds."
  • "The "bizarre bits" on display here include a bunch of medical specimens and instruments, such as the smallpox scab, various saws used for amputations and neurosurgery, and a trepan, a grotesque device used to perforate the skull, which was believed to aid in treating mental illness, epilepsy and migraines."
  • "He also talked about the positive role of older, more experienced and hard-bitten men such as Jose Henriquez, 56, a miner trained to perforate holes who is also an evangelical pastor."