percolate

verb

per·​co·​late ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt 

nonstandard

-kyə- 

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 rooms

—Norman Douglas

4

: simmer sense 2a

the feud had been percolating for a long time

percolation

ˌpər-kə-ˈlā-shən 

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.

Synonyms

• drip
• seep
• flow
• ooze
• exude
• weep
• bleed

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

For example, agentic AI only first started percolating less than a year ago, yet now consumes development activity. —Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025

Her music percolates behind a girly tone and a brassy ‘tude, with her first major-label album expected before year-end. —Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 July 2025

The singer sold the rights to his back catalogue afterward — an eyebrow-raising move for anyone under 60, let alone 30 — giving an impression of yo-yoing finances as questions about marital distress percolated. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 14 July 2025

The outrage, primarily from right-wing commentators, began percolating in the last week, before many had even seen the film. —Angela Yang, NBC news, 10 July 2025

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

Rhymes for percolate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

percolate

verb

per·​co·​late ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt 

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 

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  -lət 

: a product of percolation