Synonyms

permeate

American

[pur-mee-eyt] / ˈpɜr miˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

to pass into or through every part of.

Bright sunshine permeated the room.
to penetrate through the pores, interstices, etc., of.
to be diffused through; pervade; saturate.

Cynicism permeated his report.

verb (used without object)

to become diffused; penetrate.

permeate British

/ ˈpɜːmɪˌeɪt /

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of permeate

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin permeātus, past participle of permeāre “to pass through”; see origin at per-, meatus

Explanation

When you live in a big city like New York, you know all too well how the smells of spices and cooking meats can permeate a hallway, easily passing through those thin apartment doors to make your mouth water. The verb permeate literally means to "pass through." It's often used to describe smells or liquids that not only pass through, but also spread to fill an entire area. When you bake cookies, you'll notice that the rich, sweet smell of those cookies isn't confined just to your oven — it permeates the entire kitchen and even the whole house. In science class, you might have learned about a permeable membrane — a thin material that is porous enough to let liquids or gases to pass through.

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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:

permeate permeates permeated permeating

I think this shift shows, first of all, how much culture really does permeate the Supreme Court.

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026

"And in other ways, sometimes something can permeate that you really didn't expect."

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

Throughout their journey, all four astronauts emphasized how unified Earth looks from afar -- a takeaway they hoped would permeate public consciousness.

From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026

“I think that’s the other component I failed to mention: My reach has been able to permeate the entire globe. Now I can bring that reach directly to the Sun Rose.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2026

My mom's upbringing in Iran seemed to permeate other areas of her life in America.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

“We expect inflation to remain elevated in coming quarters as the surge in energy prices observed since the beginning of the Middle East conflict permeates U.K. prices more broadly,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

“I always say that the killer combination is investment and engagement, and so I’m seeing both at very high levels, and it permeates every aspect of the organization,” Ogwumike said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

Once Egg is unmasked, we come to understand why he’s so drawn to this enormous man whose gentle spirit permeates Claffey’s faultless performance.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026

Karp’s affinity for German philosophy permeates his mannerisms.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 25, 2025

The flag is flying, and the smell of sour grease permeates the air.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

"Social media has now permeated to the smallest towns in India, and has near ubiquity among young Indians," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

A big whiff of inflation also permeated the S&P report.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

For the rest of the night, we encounter that feeling wherever we go, a throughline that has permeated Coachella’s second weekend since it was introduced in 2012.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026

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.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

And at that moment, in that splendid hour, after his wonderful sleep, permeated with Om, how could he help but love someone and something.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

Footage on social media shows large plumes of smoke permeating through the streets of the village as sirens ring out.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Apple’s reach is permeating into the rest of the AI supply chain.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

The Fourth Amendment exists, she writes, to protect “the privacies of life” and to guard against “too permeating police surveillance.”

From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026

“You’ve got this somewhat dystopian narrative permeating the psychology of the market” with respect to AI and jobs, asset-management firm’s CIO says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

The ceiling weighs ten trillion tons; it gives off a permeating cold; it drives his nose into the floor.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023