as in stabbed
to penetrate or hold (something) with a pointed object
impale a marshmallow or two on that stick and let's start toasting
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of impaled
Lean too hard on one wall of the kitchen, and you might actually be impaled.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
The pole flew under her car and impaled her in the stomach.
—Joy Benedict, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Lind, left impaled through the torso by a samurai sword, fatally shot Borhanian in self-defense.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 29 Jan. 2026
Within the New York headquarters for Sony Pictures, dressed in a chocolate brown tracksuit ensemble in January, O'Connell, 35, seems surprised to hear how one cosplayer recreated the look of Remmick impaled by a guitar for a fan convention last year.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
The Ghoul flies wildly out of the hotel window and ends up gruesomely impaled on a pole that's part of a bus stop below.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Their necks were broken and they were dragged away to the bush to be impaled, their bowels punctured.
—Adam L. Rovner, The Conversation, 31 Oct. 2025
Station 113 races to rescue the man impaled by the railing atop the water tower that was built in the late 1800s and was expanded to four stories in the 1890s to accommodate fire-fighting water tanks.
—Bryan West, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Oct. 2025
Lucas and Simone had been tasked with holding and then removing a protruding piece of a forklift metal prong impaled in a construction worker’s abdomen.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026
The pole flew under her car and impaled her in the stomach.
—Joy Benedict, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
Lind, left impaled through the torso by a samurai sword, fatally shot Borhanian in self-defense.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 29 Jan. 2026
Within the New York headquarters for Sony Pictures, dressed in a chocolate brown tracksuit ensemble in January, O'Connell, 35, seems surprised to hear how one cosplayer recreated the look of Remmick impaled by a guitar for a fan convention last year.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
The Ghoul flies wildly out of the hotel window and ends up gruesomely impaled on a pole that's part of a bus stop below.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Their necks were broken and they were dragged away to the bush to be impaled, their bowels punctured.
—Adam L. Rovner, The Conversation, 31 Oct. 2025
Station 113 races to rescue the man impaled by the railing atop the water tower that was built in the late 1800s and was expanded to four stories in the 1890s to accommodate fire-fighting water tanks.
—Bryan West, Nashville Tennessean, 18 Oct. 2025
Lucas and Simone had been tasked with holding and then removing a protruding piece of a forklift metal prong impaled in a construction worker’s abdomen.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impaled
Verb
-
The victim was stabbed multiple times in the back as the quarrel escalated, police said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Elordi strides naturally through the film’s burning-of-Atlanta orange sunscapes and its grasslands stabbed by obsidian spikes of rock.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Williams introduces us to a woman who is pierced by the clarity of her vision.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Raha was one of them, killed by a bullet that pierced her lungs.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The episode has punctured Preckwinkle’s reputation for managerial skill — a primary reason this page has endorsed her in previous elections despite some disagreements with other aspects of her record.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
One of the bullets struck Boyd in the abdomen, traveled through his body, and ultimately punctured one of his lungs.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
An agent in Massachusetts jabbed his finger and thumb into the neck and arteries of a young father who refused to be separated from his wife and 1-year-old daughter.—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
13 Jan. 2026
-
As Webster repeatedly jabbed his finger, Rathbun met it with his left hand, as if trying to swat him away.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Youngblood picked it up, put his hand on the cover, and whispered a prayer in Latin.—
Matthew Bremner,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The Owls, who will christen Mickey Dunn Stadium this weekend, were picked to finish third by Conference USA coaches.—
Stan Awtrey,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The crucial employment snapshot is slightly delayed because of the brief government shutdown and will show whether the trajectory improved for the US labor market, which has been stuck in a low-hire and low-fire lull.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Meanwhile, a high-speed rail proposal between Dallas and Fort Worth is stuck in limbo, stemming from objections to where a route would connect in Dallas, per KERA.—
Sasha Richie,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impaled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impaled. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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