percolate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
percolates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
percolated,
past participle, past
-
percolating
present participle
-
to cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous body; filter.
-
(of a liquid) to filter through; permeate.
-
to brew (coffee) in a percolator.
verb (used without object)
-
percolates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
percolated,
past participle, past
-
percolating
present participle
-
to pass through a porous substance; filter; ooze; seep; trickle.
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to become percolated.
The coffee is starting to percolate.
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to become active, lively, or spirited.
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to show activity, movement, or life; grow or spread gradually; germinate.
Interest in the idea has begun to percolate.
noun
verb
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to cause (a liquid) to pass through a fine mesh, porous substance, etc, or (of a liquid) to pass through a fine mesh, porous substance, etc; trickle
rain percolated through the roof
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to permeate; penetrate gradually
water percolated the road
-
informal (intr) to become active or lively
she percolated with happiness
-
to make (coffee) or (of coffee) to be made in a percolator
noun
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of percolate as , with an intrusive y -glide, results from analogy with words like circulate and matriculate, where the unstressed vowel following the k -sound is symbolized by a u spelling, making the y -glide mandatory. In similar words where is followed by some other vowel, the represents a hypercorrection. The pronunciation of escalate as is another such example. See coupon, new.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
percolatesimple
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percolatessimple
-
have percolatedperfect
-
has percolatedperfect
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am percolatingprogressive
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are percolatingprogressive
-
is percolatingprogressive
-
have been percolatingperfect progressive
-
has been percolatingperfect progressive
Past
-
percolatedsimple
-
had percolatedperfect
-
was percolatingprogressive
-
were percolatingprogressive
-
had been percolatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of percolate
1620–30; < Latin percōlātus, past participle of percōlāre to filter. See per-, colander, -ate 1
Explanation
When something percolates, it spreads gradually. If the news of your victory in the spelling bee spread slowly through your entire school, you could sit back and enjoy watching it percolate. When a liquid percolates, it's filtered through something, and when an idea percolates, it's filtered through a group of people. Percolate often refers specifically to coffee, which is brewed by mixing ground coffee beans with hot water and filtering them through paper — in other words, coffee percolates. The Latin root is percolatus, which comes from per, or "through," plus colare, "to strain."
Vocabulary lists containing percolate
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This Week In Culture: August 1–6, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That focus will likely prove key if the current rotation deepens over the summer months as bond yields rise and inflation pressure percolate.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
But early in the year, core inflation excluding food and energy prices started to percolate, and the war with Iran has seemed to bring inflation to a boil.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Signs of stress continue to percolate as some private-credit funds mark down the value of their loans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
Tariff costs percolate through to American consumers in numerous ways — through higher prices on imported goods, higher prices on domestic goods produced with imported parts and a narrowed variety of goods on the shelves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
Reporters from far-flung cities wired the same observation back to their editors, and stories of delight and awe began to percolate through the most remote towns.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
That lack of fear percolates through Ambiguous Desire, where every pang of doubt is offset by a moment of euphoria or beauty.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
"It's very much a wait to see how the removal of the tariffs percolates through the supply chain," he added.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
“Liberation” percolates with lively humor, as when Lizzie introduces herself as a journalist who writes “obituaries and weddings—which in a way are the same thing.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2025
Many areas in the parched West already use treated wastewater for outdoor irrigation or to replenish underground aquifers, where water is further cleansed as it percolates through the soil.
From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2023
My heart percolates and my hands begin to sweat.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The question has percolated for Walmart all year, fueled by its new digital shelf labels and a pair of patents—one to dynamically update prices online and another to recommend prices based on anticipated demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The panic has percolated enough that political consultant and data guru Paul Mitchell set up a model predicting the likely makeup of the top two.
From Slate ● Apr. 7, 2026
After the idea percolated up from Linda to Clay-and-Buck and then to Fox News, Trump thought it was a stroke of genius.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026
News of the possible sale had percolated since last year, as Starbucks’ business in China faltered.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
“It’s a sure sign of strength. But I wonder: Have you percolated properly?”
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
"We're not the only jurisdiction that's facing that ageing-related crisis, because similar issues are percolating in Australia and England," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Antipathy toward the earnings test, and a belief that the rule is outdated since so many older Americans need to work, is why legislation is percolating in Congress to repeal it.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
Even in the film’s most convoluted moments, there’s a fire of dissent percolating just beneath its surface.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
Dept. of the Treasury, is percolating in the Sixth Circuit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Neylan reported back that things were percolating along, albeit under the surface.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
