puncture

noun

/ˈpʌŋktʃə(r)/

/ˈpʌŋktʃər/

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(British English) a small hole in a tyre made by a sharp point that allows air to escape
- I had a puncture on the way and arrived late.
- The tyre had a slow puncture and had to be pumped up every day.
compare flat (6)
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- slow
verb + puncture
- get
- have
- suffer
- …
puncture + noun
- repair kit
See full entry
a small hole, especially in the skin, made by a sharp point
- There were four small puncture marks on her wrist where the cat had bitten her.
- Puncture wounds carry a serious risk of infection.
see also lumbar puncture

Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin punctura, from punct- ‘pricked’, from the verb pungere. The verb dates from the late 17th cent.

verb

/ˈpʌŋktʃə(r)/

/ˈpʌŋktʃər/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they puncture	/ˈpʌŋktʃə(r)/ /ˈpʌŋktʃər/
he / she / it punctures	/ˈpʌŋktʃəz/ /ˈpʌŋktʃərz/
past simple punctured	/ˈpʌŋktʃəd/ /ˈpʌŋktʃərd/
past participle punctured	/ˈpʌŋktʃəd/ /ˈpʌŋktʃərd/
-ing form puncturing	/ˈpʌŋktʃərɪŋ/ /ˈpʌŋktʃərɪŋ/

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[transitive, intransitive] puncture (something) to make a small hole in something; to get a small hole
- to puncture a tyre
- She was taken to the hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung.
- One of the front tyres had punctured.
[transitive] puncture something to suddenly make somebody feel less confident, proud, etc.
- to puncture somebody’s confidence
- The earlier mood of optimism had been punctured.

Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin punctura, from punct- ‘pricked’, from the verb pungere. The verb dates from the late 17th cent.