Piercing or fixing on a point, with older senses of staking off land and the heraldic joining of coats of arms, plus a figurative image of being pinned helplessly.
To hold someone or something in a painful, exposed, or inescapable position, as though fixed on a point.
Usage
Use impale figuratively when the image is one of being pinned by a dilemma, contradiction, promise, or pressure.
Examples
The minister was impaled on his own campaign promise.
The company found itself impaled on a costly legal dispute.
Her argument was impaled by one stubborn contradiction.
He felt impaled by the choice between loyalty and honesty.
The budget impaled the project before work began.
The witness was impaled on the details of his earlier statement.
Common mistakes
A mild difficulty is often overstated as being pinned or helpless.
Incorrect
Correct
The late bus impaled my morning.
The late bus delayed my morning.
She impaled about the deadline.
She was impaled on the deadline.
The joke impaled everyone with laughter.
The joke made everyone laugh.
Similar words
trap
pin
corner
snare
entangle
fix
catch
strand
Fence with stakes
verb
historical
archaic
To enclose land, a town, or another space with pales, stakes, or a palisade.
Usage
Use impale for this fencing sense only in historical or deliberately archaic writing.
Examples
The settlers impaled the town with wooden stakes.
A palisade impaled the camp against sudden attack.
The old charter says the meadow was impaled and guarded.
The estate was impaled with a line of pales.
They impaled the pasture before bringing in the cattle.
The fort was impaled along the riverbank.
Common mistakes
The archaic fencing sense is often confused with modern injury by a stake.
Incorrect
Correct
The village impaled the prisoner with a wall.
The village was impaled with a wall of stakes.
They impaled the meadow on a spear.
They impaled the meadow with pales.
The farmer impales the field every spring.
The farmer fences the field every spring.
Similar words
fence
enclose
palisade
stockade
pale
picket
surround
fortify
Join coats of arms
verb
heraldry
technical
To display two coats of arms side by side on a shield divided vertically, often to mark a marriage or office.
Usage
Use impale in heraldry for combining arms on one shield, not for adding a single emblem to it.
Examples
The shield impales the husband's arms with the wife's arms.
A bishop may impale his family arms with those of his diocese.
The carved stone shows two coats of arms impaled on one shield.
The college impales its founder's arms with the see's arms.
Heralds impaled the two armorial bearings per pale.
The monument displays the couple's arms impaled together.
Common mistakes
A single charge is sometimes described as impaled when the heraldic sense requires two arms side by side.
Incorrect
Correct
The shield impales a red lion.
The shield bears a red lion.
The artist impaled a motto below the crest.
The artist added a motto below the crest.
The husband impaled his arms over his wife's arms.
The husband impaled his arms with his wife's arms.
Similar words
marshal
combine
join
display
quarter
arrange
blazon
emblazon
Usage
Use impale for a sharp point that pierces or pins something, then extend it carefully to archaic fencing, heraldry, or a strongly helpless figurative position.
Common mistakes
Impale into is wrong for the usual transitive pattern, and a single heraldic charge is borne or displayed rather than impaled.
Etymology
From Middle French empaler and Medieval Latin impalare, formed from Latin in- meaning in or into and palus meaning stake.
FAQ
What does impale mean?
Impale usually means to pierce or fix something on a sharp pointed object.
Can impale be used figuratively?
Yes. It can describe being pinned, trapped, or made helpless by a problem, promise, or dilemma.
What is the heraldic meaning of impale?
In heraldry, impale means to display two coats of arms side by side on one vertically divided shield.
Does impale ever mean fence in?
Yes. In archaic use, impale can mean to enclose a place with pales or stakes.
What is the past tense of impale?
The past tense and past participle are impaled.
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