penetrate
verb
[ ˈpɛnɪtreɪt ]
• go into or through (something), especially with force or effort.
• "the shrapnel had penetrated his head"
Similar:
pierce,
puncture,
make a hole in,
perforate,
stab,
prick,
probe,
gore,
spike,
stick,
impale,
transfix,
bore (through),
drill (through),
lance,
• gain access to (an organization, place, or system), especially when this is difficult to do.
• "M15 had been penetrated by Russian intelligence"
Similar:
infiltrate,
slip into,
sneak into,
creep into,
insinuate oneself into,
worm one's way into,
make inroads into,
invade,
intrude on,
overrun,
• succeed in understanding or gaining insight into (something complex or mysterious).
• "I could never penetrate his thoughts"
Similar:
understand,
comprehend,
apprehend,
fathom,
grasp,
perceive,
discern,
get to the bottom of,
solve,
resolve,
make out,
make sense of,
interpret,
puzzle out,
work out,
figure out,
unravel,
decipher,
make head or tail of,
crack,
get,
tumble to,
latch on to,
cotton on to,
suss out,
twig,
Origin:
mid 16th century: from Latin penetrat- ‘placed or gone into’, from the verb penetrare ; related to penitus ‘inner’.
