permeate
Americanverb (used with object)
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permeates,
present (3rd person singular)
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permeated,
past participle, past
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permeating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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permeates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
permeated,
past participle, past
-
permeating
present participle
verb
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to penetrate or pervade (a substance, area, etc)
a lovely smell permeated the room
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to pass through or cause to pass through by osmosis or diffusion
to permeate a membrane
Usage
What does permeate mean? 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. Dye permeates fabric. A smell can permeate a room. An idea can permeate someone’s mind. The adjective permeable means capable of being permeated, especially by liquids or gases, as in Permeable surfaces should be sealed to prevent leaks. 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: This material has a special coating that won’t allow anything to permeate its surface.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonpermeationnoun
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permeationnoun
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permeatornoun
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interpermeateverb (used with object)
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nonpermeativeadjective
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permeativeadjective
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unpermeatingadjective
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unpermeativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
permeatesimple
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permeatessimple
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have permeatedperfect
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has permeatedperfect
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am permeatingprogressive
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are permeatingprogressive
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is permeatingprogressive
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have been permeatingperfect progressive
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has been permeatingperfect progressive
Past
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permeatedsimple
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had permeatedperfect
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was permeatingprogressive
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were permeatingprogressive
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had been permeatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of permeate
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin permeātus, past participle of permeāre “to pass through”; see origin at per-, meatus
Explanation
When you live in a big city like New York, you know all too well how the smells of spices and cooking meats can permeate a hallway, easily passing through those thin apartment doors to make your mouth water. The verb permeate literally means to "pass through." It's often used to describe smells or liquids that not only pass through, but also spread to fill an entire area. When you bake cookies, you'll notice that the rich, sweet smell of those cookies isn't confined just to your oven — it permeates the entire kitchen and even the whole house. In science class, you might have learned about a permeable membrane — a thin material that is porous enough to let liquids or gases to pass through.
Vocabulary lists containing permeate
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A Raisin in the Sun
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The Giver
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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.
See Examples For:
If ponding is a recurring problem, increase the area on your property where water can permeate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
I think this shift shows, first of all, how much culture really does permeate the Supreme Court.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
"And in other ways, sometimes something can permeate that you really didn't expect."
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
"There may be some particular Canadian folklore that comes with it -- some of the values of the co-founders that are going to permeate," she said.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
They permeate the grain in wood, metal, and stone.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
It was all the more jarring because elsewhere Nordqvist had unmistakably fostered that famed European spirit which so often permeates through Solheim and Ryder Cup successes.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
The maturity of the crowd permeates everything onboard, down to the smell, said another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The crusade to prevent skin-cancer deaths, Mr. Jacobsen argues, has fostered an absolutism about the risks of sunlight that permeates the media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Once Egg is unmasked, we come to understand why he’s so drawn to this enormous man whose gentle spirit permeates Claffey’s faultless performance.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
The Hebrew term ein sof, which meant “infinite,” represented the creator aspect of God, the part of the deity that made the universe and that permeates every corner of the cosmos.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Fiona Donohoe added that "answers of 'I don't know' and 'I can't recall' permeated the evidence heard at the inquest".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
"Social media has now permeated to the smallest towns in India, and has near ubiquity among young Indians," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
A big whiff of inflation also permeated the S&P report.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
In 2018, Christian themes and symbols again permeated their collection.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
Within seconds, a foul stench thickened and permeated the cave.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Apple’s reach is permeating into the rest of the AI supply chain.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
There is a reflexive conspiratorial vibe permeating the culture.
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
Licensing for movies and TV is also booming, and with Y2K nostalgia permeating today’s media, Spears may be selling at an opportune time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026
Singh was born in 1987 in Jiagang, a small town in West Bengal state, into a household where music was not an aspiration but a daily practice, permeating every aspect of life.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
The ceiling weighs ten trillion tons; it gives off a permeating cold; it drives his nose into the floor.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
