: a piece of jewelry (such as a ring or stud) that is attached to pierced flesh
Examples of piercing in a Sentence
Adjective
She looked at me with piercing eyes, and I was suddenly frightened that she knew what I had done.
I tried to avoid his piercing stare.
She felt a piercing sadness when she heard the news.
Noun
There's a small shop in town where they do tattooing and body piercing.
She got another ear piercing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dwight Garner, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Only Jean-Baptiste could make such a screed so funny, so piercing and so devastating.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2025
Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 Feb. 2025
Representatives from the company — a national chain known for jewelry, piercings, and accessories aimed at tween and teen girls — did not respond to a request for comment.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piercing
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Adjective
What spooks Vara is that A.I. writes what are possibly her essay’s most piercing lines.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Only Jean-Baptiste could make such a screed so funny, so piercing and so devastating.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
Every teenager and 20-something thinks a facial piercing or three is a new form of rebellion.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 Feb. 2025
Representatives from the company — a national chain known for jewelry, piercings, and accessories aimed at tween and teen girls — did not respond to a request for comment.
—David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piercing
Cite this Entry
“Piercing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piercing. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
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