Meanings
- UKIPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /ˈpɜː.fə.ɹeɪt/
- USIPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /ˈpɝ.fɚ.eɪt/
- Audio (US): (file)
- UKIPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /ˈpɜː.fə.ɹət/
- USIPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /ˈpɝ.fɚ.ət/
present singular third person perforates · participle present perforating · participle past perforated · past perforated
- transitiveTo make a line of holes in (a thin material) to allow separation at the line.
to perforate a sheet of postage stamps
Synonyms: hole
- not comparableobsoletePerforated.
An Earthen Pot perforate at the Bottom to let in the Plant.
1626, Francis Bacon, Sylua Syluarum - not comparableobsoletePerforated, having a hole.
Suche abuses can not be longe hydde frome princis, that haue their eares perforate (as is the prouerbe).
1541, Thomas Elyot, Image of Governance - not comparablebiologyPerforated.
A species of remarkable appearance with mature leaf laminae often so profoundly perforate as to resemble a fragile net of tissue.
1999, Nguyen Van Dzu, Peter C. Boyce, Kew Bulletin, 54(2):379-393
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make a line of holes in (a thin material) to allow separation at the line.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivehaving a hole cut through
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinperforātus
- Middle Englishperforat(e)“perforated, pierced”
- Englishperforate
The adjective is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English perforat(e) (“perforated, pierced”), borrowed from Latin perforātus, the perfect passive participle of perforō (“to bore or pierce through, to perforate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from per- (“through, thorough”) + forō (“to bore, pierce”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek τετραίνω
- τετραίνω (tetraínō)to pierce or penetrate
Basque zulatu
- zulatuto pierce or penetrate
Bulgarian пробивам, продупчвам
- пробивам (probivam)to pierce or penetrate
- продупчвам (produpčvam)to pierce or penetrate
- перфорирам (perforiram)to make a line of holes
Catalan perforar
- perforarto pierce or penetrate
Chinese Mandarin 貫穿 /贯穿
- 貫穿 /贯穿 (guànchuān)to pierce or penetrate
Danish perforere
- perforereto pierce or penetrate
Finnish rei’ittää, lävistää
- rei’ittääto pierce or penetrate
- lävistääto pierce or penetrate
- puhkaistato pierce or penetrate
- rei’ittääto make a line of holes
German perforieren, durchstechen
- perforierento pierce or penetrate
- durchstechento pierce or penetrate
Greek διατρυπώ, τρυπώ
- διατρυπώ (diatrypó)to pierce or penetrate
- τρυπώ (trypó)to pierce or penetrate
Hebrew חוֹרֵר
- חוֹרֵר (khorér)to pierce or penetrate
Irish toll
- tollto pierce or penetrate
Latin terebrō
- terebrōto pierce or penetrate
Māori pokapoka, mōhukihuki
- pokapokato pierce or penetrate
- mōhukihukito pierce or penetrate
- whaoto pierce or penetrate
- tiokato pierce or penetrate
- tīokaokato make a line of holes
- kōwhaowhaoto make a line of holes
Portuguese perfurar, perfurar
- perfurarto pierce or penetrate
- perfurarto make a line of holes
Russian просве́рливать, проника́ть
- просве́рливать (prosvérlivatʹ)to pierce or penetrate
- проника́ть (pronikátʹ)to pierce or penetrate
- перфори́ровать (perforírovatʹ)to make a line of holes
Spanish perforar
- perforarto pierce or penetrate
Swedish perforera, perforera
- perforerato pierce or penetrate
- perforerato make a line of holes
Cite this entry
perforate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perforate
“perforate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perforate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “perforate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/perforate.
Source: perforate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.