percolate

verb

per·​co·​late ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt How to pronounce percolate (audio)
nonstandard
-kyə- How to pronounce percolate (audio)
percolated; percolating

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance (such as a powdered drug) especially for extracting a soluble constituent
b
: to prepare (coffee) in a percolator
2
: to be diffused through : penetrate

intransitive verb

1
: to ooze or trickle through a permeable substance : seep
2
a
: to become percolated
b
: to become lively or effervescent
3
: to spread gradually
allow the sunlight to percolate into our roomsNorman Douglas
4
: simmer sense 2a
the feud had been percolating for a long time
percolation noun

Did you know?

Percolate comes from a Latin verb meaning "to put through a sieve". Something that percolates filters through something else, just as small particles pass through a sieve. Water is drawn downward through the soil, and this percolation usually cleans the water. A slow rain is ideal for percolating into the soil, since in a violent rainstorm most of it quickly runs off. For this reason, drip irrigation is the most effective and water-conserving form of irrigation. Percolation isn't always a physical process; awareness of an issue may percolate slowly into the minds of the public, just as Spanish words may gradually percolate into English, often starting in the Southwest.

Examples of percolate in a Sentence

Sunlight percolated down through the trees. Rumors percolated throughout the town. There is nothing like percolating coffee over an open campfire. Coffee was percolating on the stove.
Recent Examples on the Web But percolating in the background throughout this time was Edward Cuming, the brand. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024 The trick to making a city more absorbent is to add more gardens and other green spaces that allow water to percolate into underlying aquifers—porous subterranean materials that can hold water—which a city can then draw from in times of need. Matt Simon, WIRED, 19 Feb. 2024 The rare air of four rings caused a broader questions to percolate. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024 Rainfall, delayed and rerouted by craters and hillocks, percolated into the earth rather than flushing sediment into a nearby creek. Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 The production isn’t flawless, namely in the first act where Stef Smith’s thoughtful, sometimes convoluted script doesn’t always allow for maximum connection amongst the three terrific female performers to percolate, sometimes falling into stasis. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2024 There’s a lot of big stuff percolating right now in the world of Mac Saturn. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 21 Jan. 2024 Among the one-liners percolating on message boards: Will UCLA have enough players left to field a team? Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2023 As the conversational, carefree track started to percolate in the United States and gain traction on rhythmic radio, Mavin began to feel the song’s potential to scale even greater heights, with international interest from DJs asking to put their own spin on it. Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'percolate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin percolatus, past participle of percolare, from per- through + colare to sieve — more at per-, colander

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of percolate was in 1626

Dictionary Entries Near percolate

Cite this Entry

“Percolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/percolate. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

percolate

verb
per·​co·​late ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt How to pronounce percolate (audio)
percolated; percolating
1
: to trickle or cause to trickle through something porous : filter, seep
water percolating through sand
2
: to prepare coffee in a percolator
3
: to be or become spread through : penetrate

Medical Definition

percolate

1 of 2 verb
per·​co·​late ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt How to pronounce percolate (audio)
percolated; percolating

transitive verb

1
: to cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance (as a powdered drug) especially for extracting a soluble constituent
2
: to be diffused through

intransitive verb

1
: to ooze or trickle through a permeable substance
2
: to become percolated

percolate

2 of 2 noun
per·​co·​late -ˌlāt How to pronounce percolate (audio) -lət How to pronounce percolate (audio)
: a product of percolation

More from Merriam-Webster on percolate

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