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⇱ impale - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

impale

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ɪmˈpeɪl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ɪmˈpeɪl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(im pāl′)

Inflections of 'impale' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
impales
v 3rd person singular
impaling
v pres p
impaled
v past
impaled
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
im•pale /ɪmˈpeɪl/USA pronunciation   v. [~ + object], -paled, -pal•ing. 
  1. to pierce through (something or someone's body):The spear impaled his wrist.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
im•pale  (im pāl′),USA pronunciation v.t., -paled, -pal•ing. 
  1. to fasten, stick, or fix upon a sharpened stake or the like.
  2. to pierce with a sharpened stake thrust up through the body, as for torture or punishment.
  3. to fix upon, or pierce through with, anything pointed.
  4. to make helpless as if pierced through.
  5. [Archaic.]to enclose with or as if with pales or stakes;
    fence in;
    hem in.
  6. Heraldry.
    • to marshal (two coats of arms, as the family arms of a husband and wife) on an escutcheon party per pale.
    • (of a coat of arms) to be combined with (another coat of arms) in this way.
Also, empale (for defs. 1–5).
  • Medieval Latin impālāre, equivalent. to Latin im- im-1 + pāl(us) pale2 + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive ending
  • 1545–55
im•pal′er, n. 
im•pale′ment, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
impale, empale /ɪmˈpeɪl/ vb (transitive)
  1. often followed by on, upon, or with: to pierce with a sharp instrument: they impaled the animal's head on a spear
  2. to charge (a shield) with two coats of arms placed side by side
Etymology: 16th Century: from Medieval Latin impālāre, from Latin im- (in) + pālus pale2imˈpalement, emˈpalement n
'impale' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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