percolate

American  

[pur-kuh-leyt, pur-kuh-lit, -leyt] / ˈpɜr kəˌleɪt, ˈpɜr kə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

percolated, percolating

1. to cause (a liquid) to pass through a porous body; filter.

2. (of a liquid) to filter through; permeate.

3. to brew (coffee) in a percolator.

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verb (used without object)

percolated, percolating

1. to pass through a porous substance; filter; ooze; seep; trickle.

2. to become percolated.

   The coffee is starting to percolate.

3. to become active, lively, or spirited.

4. to show activity, movement, or life; grow or spread gradually; germinate.

   Interest in the idea has begun to percolate.

noun

1. a percolated liquid.

percolate British  

/ ˈpɜːkələbəl /

verb

1. to cause (a liquid) to pass through a fine mesh, porous substance, etc, or (of a liquid) to pass through a fine mesh, porous substance, etc; trickle

   rain percolated through the roof

2. to permeate; penetrate gradually

   water percolated the road

3. informal (intr) to become active or lively

   she percolated with happiness

4. to make (coffee) or (of coffee) to be made in a percolator

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noun

1. a product of percolation

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of percolate as , with an intrusive y -glide, results from analogy with words like circulate and matriculate, where the unstressed vowel following the k -sound is symbolized by a u spelling, making the y -glide mandatory. In similar words where is followed by some other vowel, the represents a hypercorrection. The pronunciation of escalate as is another such example. See coupon, new.

Other Word Forms

• percolable
  adjective
• percolation
  noun
• percolative
  adjective
• unpercolated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of percolate

1620–30; < Latin percōlātus, past participle of percōlāre to filter. See per-, colander, -ate ¹

Explanation

When something percolates, it spreads gradually. If the news of your victory in the spelling bee spread slowly through your entire school, you could sit back and enjoy watching it percolate. When a liquid percolates, it's filtered through something, and when an idea percolates, it's filtered through a group of people. Percolate often refers specifically to coffee, which is brewed by mixing ground coffee beans with hot water and filtering them through paper — in other words, coffee percolates. The Latin root is percolatus, which comes from per, or "through," plus colare, "to strain."

Example Sentences

“We expect the impact of higher energy prices to gradually percolate in the coming months as replacement supplies arrive with a lag.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

But other risks to stock-market stability continued to percolate.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026

Tariff costs percolate through to American consumers in numerous ways — through higher prices on imported goods, higher prices on domestic goods produced with imported parts and a narrowed variety of goods on the shelves.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

As their attitudes percolate down, we could see job security supplant prices in the public’s hierarchy of anxiety.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Reporters from far-flung cities wired the same observation back to their editors, and stories of delight and awe began to percolate through the most remote towns.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• bubble
• filter
• ooze
• permeate
• pervade