percolate
verb (used with object)
to cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous body; filter.
had been percolating
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past perfect progressiveof percolate.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
For some, it’s a last hurrah, the culmination of ideas that had been percolating for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2025
Still, Buehler revealed Tuesday that the idea of a midseason break had been percolating within the team recently — as the 29-year-old’s struggles persisted longer than he and the team had anticipated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2024
It may have seemed as if the streaking pandemic had exploded swiftly, but it had been percolating for at least five years at the University of Maryland.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2023
And the new British Invasion, which had been percolating for several years, exploded thanks to the success of bands like Duran Duran, Culture Club, Eurythmics and Tears for Fears.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2023
In London there was a certain well into which the liquid contents of a sewer had been percolating for months.
From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various
