Meaning & use
percolate
Last updated
To pass slowly through a permeable substance, such as a filter, or, figuratively, to spread or develop gradually.
See it in a sentence
Rainwater percolates through layers of soil and rock before reaching the aquifer.
The idea had been percolating in her mind for months before she finally wrote it down.
A note on using this word
Familiar from coffee percolators, but just as often used figuratively for ideas or feelings developing slowly over time.
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