permeate
verb
per·me·ate
ˈpər-mē-ˌāt 
permeated; permeating
: to diffuse through or penetrate something
1
: to spread or diffuse through
a room permeated with tobacco smoke
2
: to pass through the pores or interstices of
Did you know?
Permeate was borrowed into English in the 17th century from Latin permeatus, which comes from the prefix per- ("through") and the verb meare, meaning "to go" or "to pass." Meare hasn't exactly permeated English. Aside from permeate itself, its other English descendants include the relatively common permeable as well as the medical meatus ("a natural body passage") and the downright rare irremeable ("offering no possibility of return").
Examples of permeate in a Sentence
The water permeated the sand.
The smell of baking bread permeated the kitchen.
A feeling of anxiety permeated the office as we rushed to meet the deadline.
The rain permeated through the soil.
Recent Examples on the Web
An instant later, six-foot-tall flames burst upward in blazing pillars, followed by an intoxicating waft of garlic, lemon and herbs that permeated the air over a crowd of awed onlookers.
—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 25 July 2025
Known as the cosmic microwave background, or CMB, that radiation is a diffuse light that permeates all of space.
—Nadia Drake, Scientific American, 22 July 2025
The seams were first sewn into little pouches that were weighed before and after the tumbling to see how much the weight changed, which was an indication of how much dust was permeating the seam.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 18 July 2025
The uncertainty that permeated the Jewish community in the months after Elghanian’s execution held a sense of terror.
—Roya Hakakian, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for permeate
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Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 25 July 2025
Known as the cosmic microwave background, or CMB, that radiation is a diffuse light that permeates all of space.
—Nadia Drake, Scientific American, 22 July 2025
The seams were first sewn into little pouches that were weighed before and after the tumbling to see how much the weight changed, which was an indication of how much dust was permeating the seam.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 18 July 2025
The uncertainty that permeated the Jewish community in the months after Elghanian’s execution held a sense of terror.
—Roya Hakakian, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for permeate
Cite this Entry
“Permeate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/permeate. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
permeate
verb
per·me·ate
ˈpər-mē-ˌāt
permeated; permeating
1
: to spread throughout
a room permeated with the scent of flowers
2
: to pass through something which has pores or small openings or is of loose texture : seep through
water permeates sand
permeation
noun
ˌpər-mē-ˈā-shən
Medical Definition
permeate
verb
per·me·ate
ˈpər-mē-ˌāt
permeated; permeating
: to diffuse through or penetrate something
: to pass through the pores or interstices of
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