filter

play

noun fil·ter \ ˈfil-tər \

Definition of filter

1 a :a porous article or mass (as of paper or sand) through which a gas or liquid is passed to separate out matter in suspension

b :an apparatus containing a filter medium

2 a :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

See filter defined for English-language learners

See filter defined for kids

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

Stock up, and show off your gorgeous filter-free skin IRL.

— nicole catanese, Cosmopolitan, "8 Acne-Fighting Ingredients You Need To Use Now," 23 Aug. 2017
Users can search by destination and filter results by things such as pricing, group size, amenities (showers, toilets, picnic tables), terrain (forest, hot spring, waterfall) and activities (climbing, surfing, white-water paddling).

— stephanie rosenbloom, New York Times, "Camping Today: Goodbye Pup Tent; Hello Wi-Fi," 21 Aug. 2017
Others looked through their phones, snapping photos with a protective filter pressed against the camera lens.

— barbara boyer, Philly.com, "Eclipse day: Here's how Philly saw the big event," 21 Aug. 2017
A solar filter will also be attached to the Explorium’s professional-grade 16 inch Meade Cassegrain telescope for an additional, unique viewing experience.

— jennifer jhon, South Florida Parenting, "Where to watch the eclipse with the kids," 18 Aug. 2017
Over the previous weeks, Systrom and his team at Instagram had quietly built a filter that would automatically delete specific words and emoji from users’ feeds.

— mike dang, Longreads, "Instagram Wants to Make the Internet a Nicer Place to Be," 16 Aug. 2017
The top filters used by depressed individuals were: Inkwell Crema Willow Inkwell and Willow turn the photos into black-and-white, and Crema turns the photos into a darker, more sepia tone.

— daniel wheaton, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Know a friend who only uses the "inkwell" filter on Instagram? They might be depressed.," 15 Aug. 2017
Snap shares fell as much as 18% in after hours trading Wall Street analysts trying to find reasons for optimism Not even a filter can fix the chart of Snap Inc.’s shares.

— julie verhage, Bloomberg.com, "What Wall Street Is Saying About Snap's Second-Quarter Results," 11 Aug. 2017
The app originally had filters that added smiles, changed your age or gender and ‘

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "New FaceApp Filters Removed After Backlash," 11 Aug. 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

filter

verb

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

See filter defined for English-language learners

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

A pervasive fear filtered down into the lives of ordinary citizens, scared they might be named, then shunned and fired.

— aaron carico, Teen Vogue, "5 Ways Fascism Has Existed in America Since the 1700s," 28 Aug. 2017
Hashtags have proved most useful for filtering conversations about events exactly like South by Southwest.

— matt stevens, The Seattle Times, "As the hashtag celebrates its 10th birthday, are we #blessed?," 27 Aug. 2017
Viewers may filter into the prime watch areas this weekend, in advance of the eclipse.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "Solar Eclipse 2017: Traffic delays expected on I-65, other major Kentucky highways," 15 Aug. 2017
Then Try: A smart inbox Over the last few years, Hotmail, Google, and Outlook introduced their versions of self-filtering inboxes, which separate human emails from marketing blasts to sell you discounted pants.

— alexander george, Popular Mechanics, "5 Hacks to Make Email Suck a Little Less," 31 July 2017
Because he was not affiliated with a newspaper, television station or radio station, her message wouldn’t be filtered through a media outlet.

— megan friedman, Harper's BAZAAR, "7 Things You Didn’t Know About Princess Diana, According to Her Biographer," 28 July 2017
In Miami, tensions between Kenney and his landlord started big and filtered down into the minutia, according to the lawsuit from Sacred Space’s owner Karla Dascal.

— nancy dahlberg and carlos frías, miamiherald, "This celebrity chef brought Miami his innovative vegan food — and a trail of lawsuits," 15 July 2017
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.

— lindsey lanquist, SELF, "These Nurses Want You to Remember Instagram Is One Big Highlight Reel," 5 July 2017
Processing and filtering all of the sounds, voices and faces feels as challenging as completing the most difficult calculus problem.

— hannah boudreau, Howard County Times, "Local man with autism shows courage in joining team [Commentary]," 5 July 2017

First Known Use of filter

1576

filter Synonyms

Synonyms

strain, screen

Related Words

leach, percolate

Near Antonyms

cloud, dull, muddy; contaminate, dirty, soil; defile, pollute, taint; begrime, besmirch, foul, sully

FILTER Defined for English Language Learners

filter

play

noun

Definition of filter for English Language Learners

: a device that is used to remove something unwanted from a liquid or gas that passes through it
: a device that prevents some kinds of light, sound, electronic noises, etc., from passing through
computers : software that prevents someone from looking at or receiving particular kinds of material through the Internet

filter

verb

Definition of filter for English Language Learners

: to pass (something, such as a gas or liquid) through a filter to remove something unwanted
: to remove (something unwanted) by using a filter
: to move through or into something in small amounts or in a gradual way

FILTER Defined for Kids

filter

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noun fil·ter \ ˈfil-tər \

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)

filter

verb

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

filter

play

noun fil·ter \ ˈfil-tər \

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

3 a :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