percolate

verb

per·co·late | \ ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt

, nonstandard -kyə-

percolated; percolating

Definition of percolate

1a : 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

2a : to become percolated

b : to become lively or effervescent

3 : to spread gradually allow the sunlight to percolate into our rooms— Norman Douglas

4 : simmer sense 2a the feud had been percolating for a long time

Other Words from percolate Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about percolate

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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

Big issues percolate with Russia, Turkey, Iran, North Korea and Syria. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "Storm clouds gather for GOP as midterms approach – but forecast isn’t clear," 22 Aug. 2018 During the 19-day battle, violence percolated through occasional lifting of the blanketing fog. — Alex Horton, Washington Post, "Thousands of Japanese fought in a bloody World War II battle for the Aleutians. Only 28 survived.," 24 May 2018 The idea has been percolating in Britain over the past few months, and support for it is growing as the standoff over May’s Brexit proposal raises the possibility that the UK could crash out of the EU with no deal at all. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "The case for holding a second Brexit referendum," 17 Dec. 2018 To be sure, though futures show fear percolating in markets, other signals hint at a more optimistic outlook. — Gunjan Banerji, WSJ, "Volatility Signal Flashes Red, Even as Stocks Rebound," 8 Jan. 2019 The post—and subsequent aftermath—came in the wake of a much larger conversation (some might say feud) percolating on Twitter during the weekend that involved Drake and Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Davidson's former fiancé Ariana Grande. — Whitney Perry, Glamour, "Pete Davidson's Deleted Instagram, Ariana's Concern, and Kanye's Tweets: Here's What Happened," 16 Dec. 2018 The little bit of white in the lampshades and curtains stands at attention here and keeps things percolating. — Lisa Cregan, House Beautiful, "Susan Ferrier on Creating a Cozy Lake House With Dark Colors," 18 Aug. 2014 Complaints about mistreatment in the British Parliament have percolated for years, in part owing to the vast power asymmetry between lawmakers and the young staff members who surround them. — Ellen Barry, The Seattle Times, "‘Shocking and abhorrent’ abuse rampant in U.K. Parliament, report says," 15 Oct. 2018 Things are percolating downtown, though, with a flurry of brewpubs and upstarts like Miss Winnie’s Jamaican jerk house and Liquid Eatery, a vegan cafe opening in August with acai bowls, kombucha floats, and nut-milk shakes. — Adam Erace, Philly.com, "After finding themselves unexpectedly homeless in West Chester, chef and his wife put down roots at Andiario," 19 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'percolate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.