percolate
verb (used with object)
to cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous body; filter.
had percolated
-
past perfectof percolate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
News of the possible sale had percolated since last year, as Starbucks’ business in China faltered.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2025
The issue had percolated in the years since without further guidance from the high court until Ms. Smith’s case.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
In a recent essay, he asserted that tensions that had percolated throughout the papacy came to the surface during the lockdown, and won’t fade even after COVID-19 is tamed.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 29, 2020
What I knew of prepdom was the version that had percolated into the shopping centers and school hallways of the Midwest, thanks to “The Official Preppy Handbook.”
From New York Times ● Aug. 5, 2019
Certainly, he could not flatter himself that as yet any premonition of danger had percolated to those distant centers of industry against which he was devising a campaign of surprise.
From The Law of Hemlock Mountain by Hugh Lundsford
