lacerate

verb lac·er·ate \ ˈla-sə-ˌrāt \

Updated on: 16 Nov 2017

Definition of lacerate

lacerated; lacerating

transitive verb

1 : to tear or rend roughly : wound jaggedly

2 : to cause sharp mental or emotional pain to : distress

—

lacerative

play \ˈla-sə-ˌrā-tiv\ adjective

See lacerate defined for English-language learners

See lacerate defined for kids

Examples of lacerate in a Sentence

The broken glass lacerated his feet.
The patient's hand was severely lacerated.

Recent Examples of lacerate from the Web

The injury lacerated his spine, permanently paralyzing him.

— sheeka sanahori, USA TODAY, "Community rallies around dog paralyzed from BB gun," 29 Aug. 2017
Both papers receive lacerating criticism from the White House almost every day.

— james warren, vanityfair.com, "Is The New York Times vs. The Washington Post vs. Trump the Last Great Newspaper War?," 30 July 2017
He was known for his wide-ranging intelligence, lacerating wit, loping walk, perfectly symmetrical Afro and command of the language.

— bill mcgraw, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit 67: The deep scars the city still feels today," 29 July 2017
The week following the Denver win, it was reported that Luck had lacerated his kidney.

— conor orr, SI.com, "Andrew Luck's shoulder: How Did We Get Here, and Will the QB Ever Be the Same?," 2 Nov. 2017
Wright argues Lyles used so much force that Xavier’s liver was lacerated in three places and his kidney was damaged.

— keith l. alexander, Washington Post, "Trial of woman charged with fatally beating 3-year-old son begins Monday," 29 Oct. 2017
The ruling class became hoggishly self-indulgent: Mr Heffer lacerates Edward VII for his habit of sponging off his friends and debauching their wives.

— The Economist, "The decadent late-Victorian and Edwardian era," 7 Oct. 2017
Despite the carping of her critics, Clinton does in fact lacerate herself for losing.

— michelle goldberg, Slate Magazine, "Why Isn’t Hillary Clinton Even Angrier?," 14 Sep. 2017
Her throat was lacerated by the airbag inflator and a witness described her collapsing after exiting her car.

— clifford atiyeh and rusty blackwell, Car and Driver, "Massive Takata Airbag Recall: Everything You Need to Know, Including Full List of Affected Vehicles," 31 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lacerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lacerate

Middle English, from Latin laceratus, past participle of lacerare to tear; akin to Greek lakis tear

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First Known Use: 15th century

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Other Medicine Terms

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lacerate

adjective lac·er·ate \ ˈla-sə-rət , -ˌrāt \

variants: or lacerated play \ˈla-sə-ˌrā-təd\

Definition of lacerate

1 a : torn jaggedly : mangled

b : extremely harrowed or distracted

2 : having the edges deeply and irregularly cut

a lacerate petal

First Known Use of lacerate

1514

LACERATE Defined for English Language Learners

lacerate

verb

Definition of lacerate for English Language Learners

: to cut or tear (someone's flesh) deeply or roughly

LACERATE Defined for Kids

lacerate

verb lac·er·ate \ ˈla-sə-ˌrāt \

Definition of lacerate for Students

lacerated; lacerating

: to injure by cutting or tearing deeply or roughly

a lacerated knee

Medical Dictionary

lacerate

transitive verb lac·er·ate \ ˈlas-ə-ˌrāt \

medical Definition of lacerate

lacerated; lacerating

: to tear or rend roughly : wound jaggedly

a lacerated spleen

Learn More about lacerate

See words that rhyme with lacerate Spanish Central: Translation of lacerate Nglish: Translation of lacerate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lacerate for Arabic speakers

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lacerate

Definition of lacerate

lacerative

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Examples of lacerate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lacerate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of lacerate

Other Medicine Terms

lacerate

Definition of lacerate

First Known Use of lacerate

LACERATE Defined for English Language Learners

lacerate

Definition of lacerate for English Language Learners

LACERATE Defined for Kids

lacerate

Definition of lacerate for Students

Medical Dictionary

lacerate

medical Definition of lacerate

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