perforate

1.

/ˈpɜrfəˌreɪt/

make a hole into or between, as for ease of separation

2.

/ˈpɜrfərɪt/

having a hole cut through

Other forms: perforated; perforating; perforates

When you perforate something, you make a hole in it, like when you poke holes in a piece of aluminum foil to let steam escape while something is cooking.

The word perforate has origins in the Latin word perforatus, the past participle of perforare, meaning “to bore through.” When you perforate something that’s essentially what you do: you bore through it, or punch a hole or holes in it like paper you perforate to fit the rings on your binder, or a leather belt that has been perforated with holes so that you can buckle it.

Definitions of perforate (/ˈpɜrfəˌreɪt/)

1. verb

   make a hole into or between, as for ease of separation
   “perforate the sheets of paper”

   synonyms: punch

   type of:

   pierce

   make a hole into
2. verb

   pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance
   synonyms: penetrate

   types:

   dig into, poke into, probe

   examine physically with or as if with a probe

   cut

   penetrate injuriously

   interpenetrate, permeate

   penetrate mutually or be interlocked

   strike

   pierce with force

   break

   pierce or penetrate

   foray

   briefly enter enemy territory

   poke into

   enter briefly

   creep in, sneak in

   enter surreptitiously

   diffuse, imbue, interpenetrate, penetrate, permeate, pervade, riddle

   spread or diffuse through

   honeycomb

   penetrate thoroughly and into every part

   pierce

   make a hole into

   pierce, thrust

   penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument

   pierce

   cut or make a way through

   tunnel

   force a way through

   filter, percolate, permeate, sink in

   pass through

   grain, ingrain

   thoroughly work in

   immerse, plunge

   thrust or throw into

   force, storm

   take by force

   ooze through

   run slowly and gradually

   invade

   penetrate or assault, in a harmful or injurious way

   spiritise, spiritize

   imbue with a spirit

   poke

   make a hole by poking

   puncture

   pierce with a pointed object; make a hole into

   riddle

   pierce with many holes

   gutter

   wear or cut gutters into

   prick, prickle

   make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn

   bite

   penetrate or cut, as with a knife

   stick

   pierce or penetrate or puncture with something pointed

   stick

   pierce with a thrust using a pointed instrument

   peg

   pierce with a wooden pin or knock or thrust a wooden pin into

   break up, pick

   attack with or as if with a pickaxe of ice or rocky ground, for example

   punch

   make a hole into or between, as for ease of separation

   center punch

   make a small hole in something as a guide for a drill

   empale, impale, spike, transfix

   pierce with a sharp stake or point

   horn, tusk

   stab or pierce with a horn or tusk

   gore

   wound by piercing with a sharp or penetrating object or instrument

   bite, prick, sting

   deliver a sting to

   dip, douse, dunk, plunge, souse

   immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate

   dip

   plunge (one's hand or a receptacle) into a container

   dip

   immerse in a disinfectant solution

   submerge, submerse

   put under water

   soak

   submerge in a liquid

   sheathe

   plunge or bury (a knife or sword) in flesh

   lance

   pierce with a lance, as in a knights' fight

   soak through, sop

   be or become thoroughly soaked or saturated with a liquid

   tap

   pierce in order to draw a liquid from

   infiltrate

   pass into or through by filtering or permeating

   infiltrate

   cause (a liquid) to enter by penetrating the interstices

   type of:

   come in, enter, get in, get into, go in, go into, move into

   to come or go into