permeate
Americanverb
-
to penetrate or pervade (a substance, area, etc)
a lovely smell permeated the room
-
to pass through or cause to pass through by osmosis or diffusion
to permeate a membrane
Usage
What does permeate mean? Permeate means to penetrate, pass through, and often become widespread throughout something. Similar words are pervade and saturate.Permeate can be used both in the context of the physical spread of something within a space and in more figurative ways. Dye permeates fabric. A smell can permeate a room. An idea can permeate someone’s mind.The adjective permeable means capable of being permeated, especially by liquids or gases, as in Permeable surfaces should be sealed to prevent leaks. The adjective permeating describes things that have permeated or have the ability to permeate, as in Social media has become a permeating aspect of our lives.Example: This material has a special coating that won’t allow anything to permeate its surface.
Other Word Forms
- interpermeate verb (used with object)
- nonpermeation noun
- nonpermeative adjective
- permeation noun
- permeative adjective
- permeator noun
- unpermeating adjective
- unpermeative adjective
Etymology
Origin of permeate
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin permeātus, past participle of permeāre “to pass through”; per-, meatus
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.
Care, respect and precision permeate many aspects of Japan’s culture, and this book is delightfully rife with examples.
He is persuasive that “ideas about slavery permeated early-modern English culture,” and that the development of American slavery was not “a simple function of material interests.”
Misinformation, conspiracy theory and disinformation spread like mold in a flooded house, permeating so many discussions.
From Salon
From working out with a trainer to jogging with friends to setting a presentation date as a deadline, commitment devices permeate our lives.
Generative artificial intelligence has quickly permeated much of what we do online, proving helpful for many.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
