as in to drip
to flow forth slowly through small openings
water percolating through the coffee filter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to penetrate
to spread throughout
the closing shot of the film is one of those iconic images that has long since percolated into the cultural consciousness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of percolate
Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Her cancer was an unusual and distinct kind called diffuse gastric cancer, in which cancerous cells percolate undetected through the stomach, forming obvious masses only in advanced stages—usually too late to treat.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
Democrat-Gazette online A guest piece in the opinion section Sunday railed disingenuously against a percolating public initiative for a state constitutional amendment.
—John Brummett, Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
Next, in early 2022, inflation was percolating.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for percolate
Verb
Bringing the solar array from an idea percolating around Cristo Rey to reality took time.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Her cancer was an unusual and distinct kind called diffuse gastric cancer, in which cancerous cells percolate undetected through the stomach, forming obvious masses only in advanced stages—usually too late to treat.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026
Democrat-Gazette online A guest piece in the opinion section Sunday railed disingenuously against a percolating public initiative for a state constitutional amendment.
—John Brummett, Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
Next, in early 2022, inflation was percolating.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for percolate
Cite this Entry
“Percolate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/percolate. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
