French Conversation · Level 90
58 words
French word
percer
Pronunciation
IPA/pɛʁse/
Meaning
- verbdrill
Example
Peux-tu percer ce mur avec une perceuse ?
Can you drill through this wall with a drill?
More examples
Pour accrocher le cadre, il faut percer un trou dans le mur.
To hang the picture frame, you need to drill a hole in the wall.
Core concept
A drill or blade pushes into material until it opens a way through.
Common phrases
percer un trou
drill a hole
percer un mur
drill through a wall
Similar words
trouer: To put a hole in thin material such as fabric or paper.
perforer: To punch holes in material with a punch or machine.
Definition in French
Ouvrir un trou en faisant pénétrer une pointe, un foret ou un objet tranchant jusqu'à créer un passage dans la matière.
Word origin
The verb percer comes through Old French from a Vulgar Latin form associated with Latin pertundere, which refers to piercing through.
Usage tips
- In figurative use, percer dans un domaine means to break through or succeed in a field, not to make a physical hole.