permeable
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does permeable mean? Permeable means able to be penetrated or passed through, especially by a liquid or gas. The verb 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. Water permeates the soil. Dye permeates fabric. An idea can permeate someone’s mind. In these cases, the fabric and the mind could be described as permeable. 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: Permeable surfaces should be sealed to prevent leaks.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of permeable
1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin permeābilis, equivalent to permeā ( re ) to permeate + -bilis -ble
Compare meaning
How does permeable compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Something that is permeable can be passed through, especially by liquids or gases. "I wish I hadn't worn my permeable sweater to the picnic when the weatherman called for thunderstorms. The rain seeped right through the fabric, soaking me to the skin." A permeable surface allows materials like liquids to pass through — either in or out. Inside the body, the walls of cells are permeable membranes that allow fluids and nutrients to get in and nourish the cells. A permeable shirt is good to wear in the summer, because it helps release the sweat sticking to the skin.
Vocabulary lists containing permeable
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Life Science: Cell Biology
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The Water Cycle - Introductory
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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.
The models indicate that the amount of fractured, permeable rock created by an impact depended mainly on the energy of the collision, which was controlled by the asteroid's size and speed.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026
Their improvements made the protist's cell walls permeable, allowing scientists to clearly observe its inner architecture for the first time.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2025
In keeping with their desire for a permeable landscape, Craig recommended breaking the front walkway into large squares edged with river rocks so rainwater could flow into the ground instead of the street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2025
It includes sand and permeable cloth topped with a hybrid carpet of cool-season grass grown in Lake Moses, Wash., trucked to Inglewood, then rolled out in strips four feet wide and 45 feet long.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025
He was lonely still, but it was only a mist, a weather front that passed through him when he was alone, a feeling of having turned too permeable.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
