穿刺是古代的一种酷刑，即将犯人的身体用一根木棒刺穿。

穿刺之刑往往使用一根很长的木棒，插入人体的特定部位，如直肠、阴道、口腔等。如此的方法会导致受刑者在痛苦中死亡，有时候会长达数天。施刑的木棒往往会插在地上，任由受刑者在痛苦中死去。

有时候，施刑人在穿刺之时避免插中受刑者的重要脏器以避免其立即死亡，像一个插头一样避免其大量出血。将受刑者置于大庭广众之下后（有时候也包括在众目睽睽之下对受刑者进行拷打和强奸），在生殖器和直肠之间的会阴处开一个口子。然后将一根粗木棒插入其间。插入人体的那头很钝，能够推开体内的重要脏器，大大延长受刑者的生存时间。

Impalement, as a method of execution, is the penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was used particularly in response to "crimes against the state" and regarded across a number of cultures as a very harsh form of capital punishment and recorded in myth and art. Impalement was also used during wartime to suppress rebellion, punish traitors or collaborators, and as a punishment for breaches of military discipline.