The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - penetrate v.

1) enter, go or pass through or into, pierce, bore (into) , lance, spear, go through or into, probe, stab, puncture, perforate, drill: The shell penetrated the tank's heavy armour. 2 permeate, diffuse, suffuse, pervade, filter or seep through, percolate through: The soothing balm penetrated my aching body and I relaxed into a deep sleep. 3) reach, get to, get at, touch, affect, hit, strike: Her cruel words penetrated the darkest recesses of my soul. 4) sink in, be absorbed, be understood, register, come or get through, become clear, come across, be realized, Colloq soak in, seep in: It took a while for it to penetrate that she did not wish to see him again. 5) understand, sense, become aware or conscious of, see (through) , gain insight (in) to, discern, uncover, discover, find (out) , comprehend, grasp, work out, unravel, fathom, perceive, Colloq get, figure out, dig, Brit suss out: Will we ever penetrate all of nature's secrets?