porous

adjective po·rous \ ˈpȯr-əs \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of porous

1 a : possessing or full of pores

b : containing vessels

hardwood is porous

2 a : permeable to fluids

b : permeable to outside influences

3 : capable of being penetrated

porous national boundaries

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porously

adverb

—

porousness

noun

See porous defined for English-language learners

See porous defined for kids

Examples of porous in a Sentence

The country has a porous border.
a cleaner that should not be used on porous surfaces

Recent Examples of porous from the Web

The foreign ministries in Germany and Britain advise against all but essential travel to the city, which is 40 miles from the porous border with Syria.

— Washington Post, "Erdogan a battleground in Germany-Turkey soccer vote," 15 May 2018
During the meeting, Mr. Trump yelled about the United States’ porous border and said more needed to be done to fix it.

— New York Times, "Kirstjen Nielsen, Chief of Homeland Security, Almost Resigned After Trump Tirade," 10 May 2018
Yes, the defense was porous, but the goalies failed to make many game-turning saves that are needed in the postseason.

— sam carchidi, Philly.com, "Ten reasons the Flyers are no longer in the NHL playoffs," 23 Apr. 2018
The Cardinals still need to address their porous offensive line, especially with Sam Bradford scheduled to be under center.

— eddie brown, sandiegouniontribune.com, "NFL Mock Draft 2018: Three-round projections," 11 Apr. 2018
Crypto-ransomware attacks on hospitals over the past two years have heightened awareness of the dangers to many systems and shown how porous hospital networks really are.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "Hacking your brain(scan): security bugs in EEG software open hospitals to attack," 4 Apr. 2018
Succulents, natives and other low-water plants are often featured, as are porous hardscape surfaces to trap whatever rainfall comes our way.

— pam peirce, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Private Gardens of the Bay Area’: A rare peek into private enclaves, spacious to small," 19 Jan. 2018
Trump and top aides portrayed them as a significant threat and evidence of a porous border control system.

— staff and wire reports, latimes.com, "Migrant caravan assailed by Trump arrives in Tijuana on asylum quest to U.S.," 28 Apr. 2018
While the Rebels were porous on defense, Ole Miss had one of college football’s best receiving corps last season.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Shea Patterson's Eligibility Won't Fix All of Michigan's Problems," 27 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of porous

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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porous Synonyms

POROUS Defined for English Language Learners

porous

adjective

Definition of porous for English Language Learners

: having small holes that allow air or liquid to pass through
: easy to pass or get through

POROUS Defined for Kids

porous

adjective po·rous \ ˈpȯr-əs \

Definition of porous for Students

1 : full of small holes

porous wood

2 : capable of absorbing liquids

porous paper

Medical Dictionary

porous

adjective po·rous \ ˈpōr-əs, ˈpȯr- \

medical Definition of porous

1 : possessing or full of pores

porous bones

2 : permeable to fluids

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See words that rhyme with porous Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for porous Spanish Central: Translation of porous Nglish: Translation of porous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of porous for Arabic speakers

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Definition of porous

porously

porousness

Examples of porous in a Sentence

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POROUS Defined for English Language Learners

porous

Definition of porous for English Language Learners

POROUS Defined for Kids

porous

Definition of porous for Students

Medical Dictionary

porous

medical Definition of porous

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