{
    "term": "pierce",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "pierce",
            "heSheIt": "pierces"
        },
        "pastSimple": "pierced",
        "pastParticiple": "pierced",
        "ingForm": "piercing"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to make a small hole in something, or to go through something, with a sharp object",
            "sensetop": "pierce somethingpierce somebodypierce through something",
            "labels": "(figurative)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The arrow pierced his shoulder.",
                    "contextForm": "pierce something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He pierced another hole in his belt with his knife."
                },
                {
                    "text": "to **have your ears/nose, etc. pierced** (= to have a small hole made in your ears/nose, etc. so that you can wear jewellery there)"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was pierced to the heart with guilt."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The knife pierced through his coat.",
                    "contextForm": "pierce through something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The narrowed blue eyes seemed to pierce right through her."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to be suddenly seen or heard",
            "sensetop": "pierce (through) something",
            "labels": "(literary)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Sirens pierced the silence of the night."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Shafts of sunlight pierced the heavy mist."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to force a way through a barrier",
            "sensetop": "pierce (through) something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They failed to pierce the Liverpool defence."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "penetrate"
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɪəs/",
                "audio": "pi/pierce/pierce__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈpɪəsɪz/",
                "audio": "pi/pierce/pierces__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɪəst/",
                "audio": "pi/pierce/pierced__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈpɪəsɪŋ/",
                "audio": "pi/pierce/piercing__gb_2.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɪrs/",
                "audio": "pi/pierce/pierce__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈpɪrsɪz/",
                "audio": "pi/pierce/pierces__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pɪrst/",
                "audio": "pi/pierce/pierced__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈpɪrsɪŋ/",
                "audio": "pi/pierce/piercing__us_2.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French percer, based on Latin pertus- ‘bored through’, from the verb pertundere, from per ‘through’ + tundere ‘thrust’."
}