impale

IPA/ɪmˈpeɪl/
KK[ˌɪmpˈel]IPA/ɪmˈpeɪl/

impale — verb

  • impalepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • impaleshe / she / it
  • impaledpast simple
  • impaling-ing form

1. to drive a pointed object into a person, animal, or thing, so that the object go

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to drive a pointed object into a person, animal, or thing, so that the object goes deep inside and stays there

Example

Emeka accidentally impaled his hand on a garden fork while pulling weeds.

Rosa impaled pieces of bell pepper and onion on metal skewers for the party.

collocation: impale [food] on [skewer] for non-violent use

Common collocations
  • impale [body part / food / object] on [spike / skewer / branch / fork / metal bar]
  • be impaled on [sharp object]
  • impale oneself on something
Synonyms
  • pierce

    more general and neutral; piercing does not necessarily leave the object stuck inside

  • skewer

    usually for food; implies the object is thin and straight like a needle or stick

  • transfix

    formal, literary; often used for piercing through the body so the victim cannot move

  • spear

    to pierce with a spear or similar long weapon

Grammar Patterns

impale + object + on + noun phrase

be impaled on + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often used in the passive voice (be impaled on) or as a past participle (impaled on). When a person is the subject, the construction is typically accidental or reflexive: impale oneself on or impale one's body part on.

Common Mistakes

He impaled the knife into the meat.
He impaled the meat on the knife.
The pierced object is the direct object; the sharp tool follows 'on'.

Word family

  • impalement
    nounC1
  • impaler
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe a pointed object entering something, but they differ in force and outcome. Pierce is the most general — it simply means a sharp point goes through a surface (a needle pierces skin). Skewer is narrower, used mainly for food: you push a thin stick through pieces of meat or vegetables to cook them. Spear suggests a deliberate, forceful thrust with a weapon (the soldier speared a fish). Transfix is formal and dramatic — it means to pierce all the way through so the victim is pinned in place and cannot move. Impale is closest to transfix but more concrete: it emphasises that the pointed object stays stuck inside the thing it has gone through. For example, a worker might impale his hand on a metal rod, while a chef would skewer chicken for the grill rather than impale it.

pierce ↗skewer ↗spear ↗transfix ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • impale oneself on
  • be impaled on
  • leave someone impaled on

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Impale comes from Latin 'in-' (into) and 'palus' (a stake). It entered English through Middle French 'empaler', which originally meant to push someone onto a pointed stake as a form of punishment or execution.