To puncture means to make a small hole in something by poking or piercing it with a sharp object. When you step on a tack and it goes through your bicycle tire, you've punctured the tire. The air rushes out through that tiny hole, and suddenly your ride is over.

A puncture is usually a clean, precise hole rather than a big tear or rip. A sewing needle punctures fabric. A thumbtack punctures paper. A mosquito punctures your skin (which is why the bite itches afterward). Doctors and nurses use hollow needles to puncture skin when giving shots or drawing blood.

The word can also mean to suddenly ruin or deflate something non-physical. Imagine your friend is bragging confidently about winning the spelling bee, but then you puncture his confidence by reminding him that the competition hasn't happened yet. His overblown pride deflates like a punctured balloon. In this sense, to puncture means to bring someone back down to earth, to pop their bubble of false certainty.

A puncture wound is the medical term for an injury caused by something sharp and pointed, like stepping on a nail. These wounds can be more serious than they look because bacteria can get trapped deep inside, so they may need medical attention.