percolator

noun

per·​co·​la·​tor ˈpər-kə-ˌlā-tər 

nonstandard

-kyə- 

: one that percolates

specifically : a coffeepot in which boiling water rising through a tube is repeatedly deflected downward through a perforated basket containing ground coffee beans to extract their essence

Examples of percolator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Seven decades later, the Art Deco Bialetti percolator is in the permanent collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the company has partnered with the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and MacKenzie-Childs to vary up the iconic aluminum design. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025

Original price: $119.99 This Presto electric percolator brews up to 12 cups of coffee quickly, delivering a rich, full-bodied flavor. —May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025

People used to mostly make coffee with percolators. —Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 28 Feb. 2025

It’s traditionally made using a small metal percolator similar to the kind used for Vietnamese cà phê. —Meher Mirza, Saveur, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for percolator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator

Kids Definition

percolator

noun

per·​co·​la·​tor ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt-ər 

: a coffeepot in which boiling water rising through a tube is repeatedly turned downward through a basket with holes that contains ground coffee beans to make coffee

Medical Definition

percolator

noun

per·​co·​la·​tor ˈpər-kə-ˌlāt-ər 

: an apparatus for the extraction of a drug with a liquid solvent by downward displacement