Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To pass through the openings or interstices of.
- intransitive verb To spread or flow throughout; pervade: synonym: imbue.
- intransitive verb To spread through or penetrate something.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To pass into or through without rupture or displacement of parts; spread through and fill the openings, pores, and interstices of; hence, to saturate; pervade: as, water permeates sand; the air was permeated with smoke.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To pass through the pores or interstices of; to penetrate and pass through without causing rupture or displacement; -- applied especially to fluids which pass through substances of loose texture.
- transitive verb To enter and spread through; to pervade.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
pass through thepores orinterstices of; topenetrate and pass through without causingrupture ordisplacement ; -- applied especially to fluids which pass through substances of loose texture; as, water permeates sand. - verb To
enter andspread through; topervade . - noun A watery by-product of milk production.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb pass through
- verb penetrate mutually or be interlocked
- verb spread or diffuse through
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The permeate is processed to remove the lactose, which is used to create ethanol.
Using Lactose to Make Biofuel Steve Carper 2008
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Quoting experts who have clear political biases, speculating about how one's theology would influence their public policy and poor use of important labels permeate the coverage of Palin.
GetReligion 2008
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Quoting experts who have clear political biases, speculating about how one's theology would influence their public policy and poor use of important labels permeate the coverage of Palin.
GetReligion 2008
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Metaphors permeate our emotional lives so deeply that "permeate" might be the wrong word; from one perspective, they're what those lives consist of, and bad ones land us in trouble.
This column will change your life: Sealing off worries Oliver Burkeman 2010
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Mr. GARZA: We have a big record collection, and you know, the sounds kind of permeate every corner of the globe.
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He encouraged the students to "permeate" themselves with "the full spirit of the age" if they hoped to give architecture "true art forms."
Chicago Reader 2010
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Does this act of hypocrisy "permeate" the red-state electorate?
DailyHowler.com 2009
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The feeling of loss is one that can easily permeate throughout all areas of your life.
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The feeling of loss is one that can easily permeate throughout all areas of your life.
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To create those noxious odors would mean it would be too intense at the source and permeate the whole valley, company project manager Mark Patton says.
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