filter
[ fil-ter ]
/ ˈfɪl tər /
Save This Word!
noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to pass or slip through slowly, as through an obstruction or a filter: Enemy agents managed to filter into the embattled country.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of filter
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English filtre, from Medieval Latin filtrum “felt, piece of felt used to strain liquids,” from Germanic; see origin at felt2
OTHER WORDS FROM filter
Words nearby filter
filoselle, filosus, filovirus, fils, filt., filter, filterable, filterable virus, filter bed, filter bubble, filter cake
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for filter
British Dictionary definitions for filter
filter
/ (ˈfɪltə) /
noun
verb
Word Origin for filter
C16 filtre from Medieval Latin filtrum piece of felt used as a filter, of Germanic origin; see felt ²
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
Medical definitions for filter
filter
[ fĭl′tər ]
n.
v.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for filter
filter
[ fĭl′tər ]
A material that has very tiny holes and is used to separate out solid particles contained in a liquid or gas that is passed through it.
A device that allows signals with certain properties, such as signals lying in a certain frequency range, to pass while blocking the passage of others. For example, filters on photographic lenses allow only certain frequencies of light to enter the camera, while polarizing filters allow only light polarized along a given plane to pass. Radio tuners are filters that allow frequencies of only a narrow range to pass into an amplification circuit.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for filter
notes for filter
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.