porous

adjective

po·rous | \ ˈpȯr-əs

Definition of porous

1a : possessing or full of pores

b : containing vessels hardwood is porous

2a : permeable to fluids

b : permeable to outside influences

3 : capable of being penetrated porous national boundaries

Other Words from porous Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about porous

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Examples of porous in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

However, since the surface isn't as smooth as, say, its butcher-block and concrete counterparts, tile can be tough to keep clean—especially the grout, which is quite porous. — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "Tile Countertops: Pros, Cons, and Everything Else You Should Know," 31 Jan. 2019 The entire three-part collection—a gentle exfoliating shampoo, scalp treatment, and dry shampoo—is infused with binchotan, a hyper-porous activated charcoal from Japan. — Erin Levi, Good Housekeeping, "8 Healthy Uses For Activated Charcoal (And 3 You Can Skip)," 25 Mar. 2017 The land there is mostly limestone, which is porous and fairly unstable. — J. Weston Phippen, Outside Online, "The AT Pipeline Protesters Come Down from the Trees," 5 June 2018 Casey’s skin was eerily lifelike, porous and pliant. — Susannah Breslin, The Atlantic, "Porn’s Uncanny Valley," 1 June 2018 Many are now made from plastics that are less porous and absorbent, and therefore less likely to retain the moisture that attract bacteria. — Alice Park, Time, "You Should Throw Away Your Germy Kitchen Sponge Immediately. Here’s How to Wash Your Dishes Instead," 27 Apr. 2018 Afghanistan was too big, too porous and too unresponsive to central control. — chicagotribune.com, "The Middle East's age of innocence is over," 21 Mar. 2018 Go organic Amphibians are the canary in the coal mine of planet earth: Their delicate skin is incredibly porous and especially sensitive to environmental changes. — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, "5 Ways To Attract Toads To Your Garden (And Why You’d Totally Want To)," 16 May 2017 Officials estimate the construction of a porous surface at those locations will provide a total retention of 96,378 gallons of storm water per rain event. — Pioneer Press, chicagotribune.com, "'Green alley' project: Harwood Heights moves forward on plan designed to prevent storm runoff and flooding," 18 June 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.