Percolate - Meaning, Definition & English Examples
To percolate means to filter or spread gradually through a substance, like water passing through coffee grounds. It can also describe ideas or information slowly spreading among people.
Definition:
To filter or spread gradually through a substance or group.
Synonyms:
filter, seep, permeate, trickle
Part of Speech:
verb, noun
Antonyms:
stagnate, block
Common Collocations:
coffee percolates, ideas percolate, water percolates through soil
Derivatives:
percolation, percolator
Usage Tips:
Use "percolate" for liquids filtering slowly or ideas spreading gradually; avoid for fast movements.
Common Phrases:
percolate through, let it percolate, percolate down
Etymology:
From Latin "percolare," meaning to strain or filter through ("per-" through + "colare" to strain).
Examples:
- 1. The coffee began to percolate in the old machine.
- 2. Rainwater will slowly percolate through the sandy soil.
- 3. New ideas often take time to percolate among team members.
- 4. The news started to percolate through the small town quickly.