porous

[ pawr-uhs, pohr- ]

/ ˈpɔr əs, ˈpoʊr- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for porous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

full of pores.

permeable by water, air, etc.

OTHER WORDS FOR porous

2 penetrable, pervious; sievelike, riddled.

See synonyms for porous on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of porous

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, variant of porose, from Medieval Latin porōsus; see pore², -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM porous

po·rous·ly, adverbpo·rous·ness, nounnon·po·rous, adjectivenon·po·rous·ness, noun

un·po·rous, adjectiveun·po·rous·ness, noun

Words nearby porous

pornographic, pornography, porny, poromeric, porosity, porous, porphyria, porphyrin, porphyritic, porphyrization, porphyrize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use porous in a sentence

That, combined with the lengthy porous border with Pakistan’s least governed regions will give extremists a large field in which to train, plan and plot.
Why Was There So Little Resistance When Afghanistan Collapsed?|Tracy Moran|August 16, 2021|Ozy
Instead water flows through and around the highly porous Venus’s-flower-basket and forms a gentle zone of water that flanks the sponge and displaces turbulence downstream, the team found.
How intricate Venus’s-flower-baskets manipulate the flow of seawater|Nikk Ogasa|July 21, 2021|Science News
The Titans likely won’t rocket to the top of the AFC just with the addition of Jones, given their porous defense, but he does fill key offensive needs for them.
With The Julio Jones Trade, Did Both Atlanta And Tennessee Get Better?|Sarah Shachat|June 8, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
We can have border controls and quarantine and they’re very important, but we can’t forget that these are porous land borders.
Southeast Asia Kept COVID-19 Under Control For Most of the Pandemic. Now It's Battling Worrying New Surges|Amy Gunia / Hong Kong|May 14, 2021|Time

The outbreak reflects a broader one across Nepal, which shares a long, porous border with India.
India's COVID-19 Disaster May Be Turning Into an Even Bigger Global Crisis|Billy Perrigo|May 12, 2021|Time
Our porous borders are seen as a midterm election play-to-the-base appeal instead of a problem to be solved.
Border Kids Crisis—Impotent Congress|John Avlon|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Brazilian defense, touted as impenetrable in pre-tournament hype, proved to be bedraggled, and porous.
Brazil Slips Past Croatia, Thanks to Yuichi Nishimura|Tunku Varadarajan|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The world is porous and full of holes…so you just find the cracks,” Austin says slyly.
A Most Illegal Adventure with New York City’s Wildest Underground Event Planners|Nina Strochlic|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Among the biggest problems is the porous border Afghanistan shares with Pakistan.
David Sanger’s ‘Confront and Conceal’: 5 Revelations in Obama’s Wars|Matthew DeLuca|June 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Functioning countries cannot have such porous borders, for security reasons let alone communitarian concerns.
African Refugees Are Israel's All-American Dilemma|Gil Troy|May 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On very sandy fields the heaviest rainfall may be taken up by the porous earth, so that no streams are found.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
The azucarilla is a confection not unlike "Edinburgh rock," but more porous and of the nature of a meringue.
Spanish Life in Town and Country|L. Higgin and Eugne E. Street
Then put the cell within the porous cup and fill the top with clear water, preferably rain water.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
Water in porous jars, often flavoured with rose-leaves or verbena, is presented by servants as the meal proceeds.
Peeps at Many Lands: Egypt|R. Talbot Kelly
It was with great difficulty however that I clambered down the side of the crag, for the lava just there was porous and bubbly.
The White Man's Foot|Grant Allen

British Dictionary definitions for porous

porous

/ (ˈpɔːrəs) /

adjective

permeable to water, air, or other fluids

biology geology having pores; poriferous

easy to cross or penetratethe porous border into Thailand; the most porous defence in the league

Derived forms of porous

porously, adverbporousness, noun

Word Origin for porous

C14: from Medieval Latin porōsus, from Late Latin porus pore ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for porous

porous

[ pôr′əs ]

Having many pores or other small spaces that can hold a gas or liquid or allow it to pass through.

porous

OTHER WORDS FOR porous

Origin of porous

OTHER WORDS FROM porous

Words nearby porous

Words related to porous

How to use porous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for porous

Derived forms of porous

Word Origin for porous

Scientific definitions for porous