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Definition of filter
1a : a porous article or mass (as of paper or sand) through which a gas or liquid is passed to separate out matter in suspensionb : an apparatus containing a filter medium
2a : a device or material for suppressing or minimizing waves or oscillations of certain frequencies (as of electricity, light, or sound)b : a transparent material (such as colored glass) that absorbs light of certain wavelengths or colors selectively and is used for modifying light that reaches a sensitized photographic material —called also color filter
3 : something that has the effect of a filter (as by holding back elements or modifying the appearance of something) his work is too often viewed through the filter of race — Brent Staples
4 : software for sorting or blocking access to certain online material
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Examples of filter in a Sentence
She smokes cigarettes with filters.
He placed a red filter on the camera lens.
digital filters that stop high-frequency sounds
Recent Examples of filter from the Web
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Red Lion Chem Tech of Jacksonville, Fla., will receive $165,000 to install absorbent resin filters to remove copper from bay water.
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At its Elk Grove Village headquarters, more than 250 employees filter in five days a week and take their place on the line.
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In fact, one result of work with total eclipses in Australia is that solar filters have specific certifications, Schneider said.
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The Kyoto-style iced coffee is potent, and the siphon-filter drip bar makes for an impressive show.
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How could ink on paper possibly compare to the magic of cat filters?
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Plenty of folks defended Kim's look, attributing it to tanning, contouring, photography filter tricks, and more.
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The county has filters to screen the pollutants, said Tim Hopkins, general counsel for the water authority.
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EBMUD spokeswoman Andrea Pook said district officials don’t believe home water filters are effective at lowering THMs.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'filter'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of filter
Middle English filtre, from Medieval Latin filtrum piece of felt used as a filter, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German filz felt — more at felt
filter
Definition of filter
filtered
;filtering
play \ˈfil-t(ə-)riŋ\transitive verb
1 : to subject to the action of a filter
2 : to remove by means of a filter
intransitive verb
1 : to pass or move through or as if through a filter
2 : to come or go in small units over a period of time people began filtering in
Examples of filter in a Sentence
They've begun filtering their water to remove impurities.
a device that filters impurities from water
sunglasses that filter ultraviolet light
Sunlight filtered through the leaves.
His ideas have filtered down to his children.
The crowd filtered into the arena.
Early election returns have begun to filter in.
Recent Examples of filter from the Web
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These photos only showcase one side of the story, and that side is usually overwhelmingly positive, exciting, or—to use a little Instagram speak—filtered.
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Processing and filtering all of the sounds, voices and faces feels as challenging as completing the most difficult calculus problem.
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All the while, a legion of who’s who NBA figures filtered in and out of the complex.
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That makes putting values and creating apples-to-apples judgments on players difficult, and the idea of filtering gameday decisions through a strict set of rules problematic.
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MSD since 2005 has been forced to spend nearly $1 billion to help make up for the community's past sins in many of those areas, curbing sewage overflows and making urban areas more like a sponge to soak up and naturally filter dirty stormwater.
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That would include turning off air conditioning in the buildings so smoke can’t filter in and positioning fire engines near the structure until patients can be moved.
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The water company uses water from Lake Michigan that's filtered at its plants in Gary and Ogden Dunes.
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If Google filters out the most irritating ad formats in Chrome, users will have less reason to seek out more drastic ad-blocking tools, the thinking goes.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'filter'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of filter
1576
FILTER Defined for English Language Learners
filter
playDefinition of filter for English Language Learners
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: a device that is used to remove something unwanted from a liquid or gas that passes through it
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: a device that prevents some kinds of light, sound, electronic noises, etc., from passing through
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computers : software that prevents someone from looking at or receiving particular kinds of material through the Internet
filter
Definition of filter for English Language Learners
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: to pass (something, such as a gas or liquid) through a filter to remove something unwanted
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: to remove (something unwanted) by using a filter
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: to move through or into something in small amounts or in a gradual way
FILTER Defined for Kids
Definition of filter for Students
1 : a device or a mass of material (as sand or paper) with tiny openings through which a gas or liquid is passed to remove something The filter removes dust from the air.
2 : a transparent material that absorbs light of some colors and is used for changing light (as in photography)
Definition of filter for Students
filtered
;filtering
1 : to pass through a filter filter water
2 : to remove by means of a filter Sand helps filter impurities from water.
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of filter
1: a porous article or mass (as of paper or sand) through which a gas or liquid is passed to separate out matter in suspension
2: an apparatus containing a filter medium
3a: a device or material for suppressing or minimizing waves or oscillations of certain frequencies (as of electricity, light, or sound)b: a transparent material (as colored glass) that absorbs light of certain wavelengths or colors selectively and is used for modifying light that reaches a sensitized photographic material—called also color filter
filter
Medical Definition of filter
filtered
;filtering
\-t(ə-)riŋ\play1
transitive verb
: to subject to the action of a filter2: to remove by means of a filter
intransitive verb
: to pass or move through or as if through a filter
Learn More about filter
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See words that rhyme with filter Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for filter Spanish Central: Translation of filter Nglish: Translation of filter for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of filter for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about filter
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