Standard Lemma guide

percolate

noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɜːkəleɪt/
  • General-American: /ˈpɝkəleɪt/
  • General-American, nonstandard: /ˈpɝkjəleɪt/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P ER1 K AH0 L EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A liquid that has been percolated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To pass a liquid through a porous substance; to filter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To drain or seep through a porous substance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • Water percolates through sand.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To make (coffee) in a percolator.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • I'll percolate some coffee.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

(of coffee) to be prepared by percolation; (of a coffee pot) to brew coffee in this way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To spread slowly or gradually; to slowly become noticed or realised.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, intransitive

Examples

  • Reports on the pitiful state of many prisons have finally percolated through to the Home Office, which has promised to look into the situation.
  • Through media reports it percolated to the surface that the police investigation was profoundly flawed.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the product of percolation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: filtrate

8

verb

Meaning 8

gain or regain energy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I picked up after a nap

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perk up, perk, pick up, gain vigor

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: recuperate, recover, convalesce

9

verb

Meaning 9

pass through

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Water permeates sand easily

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sink in, permeate, filter

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: penetrate, perforate

Narrower terms: infiltrate

10

verb

Meaning 10

cause (a solvent) to pass through a permeable substance in order to extract a soluble constituent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: percolate

11

verb

Meaning 11

prepare in a percolator

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • percolate coffee

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: percolate

12

verb

Meaning 12

spread gradually

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Light percolated into our house in the morning

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: diffuse, spread, spread out, fan out

13

verb

Meaning 13

permeate or penetrate gradually

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the fertilizer leached into the ground

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: leach

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: trickle, dribble, filter

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin percōlātus, perfect passive participle of percōlō (“to filter”), itself, from per (“through”) + cōlō (“to strain”) (from cōlum (“a strainer”), of unknown origin); see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: percolaat — liquid that has been percolated
  • French: percolat — liquid that has been percolated
  • German: Filtrat — liquid that has been percolated
  • Bulgarian: прецеждам (preceždam) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Bulgarian: филтрирам (filtriram) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Catalan: percolar — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Dutch: percoleren — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Dutch: filteren — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Dutch: filtreren — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Esperanto: traguti — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Finnish: suodattaa — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • French: faire percoler — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • French: filtrer — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Georgian: გაწურვა (gac̣urva) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Georgian: გაფილტრვა (gapilṭrva) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • German: filtern — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • German: filtrieren — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Icelandic: síla — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Irish: síothlaigh — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Italian: percolare — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Polish: przesączyć — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Portuguese: coar — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Portuguese: filtrar — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Russian: проце́живать (procéživatʹ) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Russian: процеди́ть (procedítʹ) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Russian: фильтрова́ть (filʹtrovátʹ) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Russian: перколи́ровать (perkolírovatʹ) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Spanish: percolar — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Turkish: filtrelemek — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Ottoman Turkish: سوزمك (süzmek) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Ukrainian: проціджувати (procidžuvaty) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Ukrainian: фільтрувати (filʹtruvaty) — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Zazaki: agoznayen — (transitive) pass a liquid through a porous substance
  • Bulgarian: просмуквам се (prosmukvam se) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Dutch: percoleren — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Dutch: filteren — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Dutch: filtreren — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Esperanto: traguti — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Finnish: suotautua — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Finnish: suotua — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Finnish: siivilöityä — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Finnish: tihkua läpi — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • French: percoler — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • French: filtrer — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Georgian: გაჟონვა (gažonva) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Georgian: გამოსვლა (gamosvla) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • German: versickern — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Irish: síothlaigh — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Italian: drenare — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Italian: percolare — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Manx: sheel — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Portuguese: permear — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Russian: проса́чиваться (prosáčivatʹsja) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Russian: просочи́ться (prosočítʹsja) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Russian: проходи́ть (proxodítʹ) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Russian: пройти́ (projtí) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Spanish: percolar — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Turkish: teressüh etmek — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Ukrainian: просо́чуватися (prosóčuvatysja) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Ukrainian: просочи́тися (prosočýtysja) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Ukrainian: фільтрува́тися (filʹtruvátysja) — (intransitive) drain through a porous substance
  • Greek: φιλτράρω (filtráro) — (transitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Irish: síothlaigh — (transitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Italian: filtrare — (transitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Italian: percolare — (transitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Portuguese: coar — (transitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Portuguese: filtrar — (transitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Greek: φιλτράρομαι (filtráromai) — (intransitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Irish: síothlaigh — (intransitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Portuguese: coar — (intransitive) to make coffee in a percolator
  • Dutch: doorsijpelen — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Dutch: doordringen — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Georgian: გავრცელება (gavrceleba) — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • German: durchsickern — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Greek: διεισδύω (dieisdýo) — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Italian: filtrare — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Portuguese: permear — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Russian: распространя́ться (rasprostranjátʹsja) — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Russian: распространи́ться (rasprostranítʹsja) — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Turkish: sızmak — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually
  • Zazaki: rodayen — (intransitive) spread slowly or gradually