adj · 5 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:/ˈpɔːɹəs/
Canada, General-American:/ˈpɔɹəs/
Canada, General-American:[ˈpɔ.ɹəs]
Australian, New-Zealand:/ˈpoːɹəs/
QueenslandRecorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɔːɹəs
CMU ARPABET:P AO1 R AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Full of tiny pores that allow fluids or gasses to pass through.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Sponges are porous so they can filter water while trapping food.
Concrete is porous, so water will slowly filter through it.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: permeable
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
With many gaps or loopholes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective
Meaning 3
full of pores or vessels or holes
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: poriferous
Antonyms: nonporous
4
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
allowing passage in and out
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
our unfenced and largely unpoliced border inevitably has been very porous
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: holey
Antonyms: none provided
5
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
able to absorb fluids
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the partly porous walls of our digestive system
compacting the soil to make it less porous
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Old French poros, from Latin porus (“an opening”). By surface analysis, pore + -ous.
Across languages
Translations
38 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
ծակոտկեն
(cakotken)
— full of tiny pores
Asturian:
porosu
— full of tiny pores
Bulgarian:
порест
(porest)
— full of tiny pores
Catalan:
porós
— full of tiny pores
Chinese Mandarin:
多孔的
(duōkǒng de)
— full of tiny pores
Danish:
porøs
— full of tiny pores
Dutch:
poreus
— full of tiny pores
Esperanto:
pora
— full of tiny pores
Estonian:
poorne
— full of tiny pores
Estonian:
urbne
— full of tiny pores
Finnish:
huokoinen
— full of tiny pores
French:
poreux
— full of tiny pores
Galician:
poroso
— full of tiny pores
German:
porös
— full of tiny pores
Greek:
πορώδης
(poródis)
— full of tiny pores
Ancient Greek:
χαῦνος
(khaûnos)
— full of tiny pores
Ancient Greek:
σομφός
(somphós)
— full of tiny pores
Ancient Greek:
πολύτρητος
(polútrētos)
— full of tiny pores
Indonesian:
porus
— full of tiny pores
Italian:
poroso
— full of tiny pores
Japanese:
多孔質の
(takōshitsu no)
— full of tiny pores
Japanese:
多孔の
(takō no)
— full of tiny pores
Northern Kurdish:
kunkunî
— full of tiny pores
Latin:
porōsus
— full of tiny pores
Latin:
multicavus
— full of tiny pores
Malay:
ڤوروس
(poros)
— full of tiny pores
Māori:
pōareare
— full of tiny pores
Māori:
koropungapunga
— full of tiny pores
Norwegian Bokmål:
porøs
— full of tiny pores
Norwegian Nynorsk:
porøs
— full of tiny pores
Persian:
متخلخل
(motexalxel)
— full of tiny pores
Polish:
porowaty
— full of tiny pores
Portuguese:
poroso
— full of tiny pores
Russian:
по́ристый
(póristyj)
— full of tiny pores
