: a porous article or mass (as of paper or sand) through which a gas or liquid is passed to separate out matter in suspension
b
: an apparatus containing a filter medium
2
a
: a device or material for suppressing or minimizing waves or oscillations of certain frequencies (as of electricity, light, or sound)
b
: a transparent material (such as colored glass) that absorbs light of certain wavelengths or colors selectively and is used for modifying light that reaches a sensitized photographic material
called alsocolor filter
3
: something that has the effect of a filter (as by holding back elements or modifying the appearance of something)
his work is too often viewed through the filter of race Brent Staples
4
: software for sorting or blocking access to certain online material
Noun She smokes cigarettes with filters. He placed a red filter on the camera lens. digital filters that stop high-frequency sounds Verb They've begun filtering their water to remove impurities. a device that filters impurities from water sunglasses that filter ultraviolet light Sunlight filtered through the leaves. His ideas have filtered down to his children. The crowd filtered into the arena. Early election returns have begun to filter in. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Jackson health officials have said that those who are pregnant and 5 or younger should use bottled water for drinking and cooking, or an NSF53 filter. Antonio Planas, NBC News, 15 Sep. 2022 Carpet works like an air filter, collecting our home's dirt and dust. Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2022 This particular cryo-EM configuration is unique because of an advanced filter that was added to eliminate some of the background noise in the suspension fluid. Laura Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, 7 Sep. 2022 Residents who see or smell smoke are advised to limit outdoor activities and use an air filter for protection. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022 An integrated hollow fiber water filter allows hikers to submerge the bottom of the pole in water and drink from the foam handle through a tube.Outside Online, 23 June 2022 Some cream formulas tend to be heavy on the pores, but the texture on this one is featherlight and smooth, thanks to a combination of silica and soft-focus powders that work pretty much like an IRL beauty filter. Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 26 Apr. 2022 The city of Summerville in Chattooga County advised residents to boil all water to use for drinking, cooking or preparing baby food after flash flooding at a filter plant. Theresa Waldrop And Haley Brink, CNN, 5 Sep. 2022 Residents of the city of Summerville in Chattooga County were advised to boil water prior to drinking and cooking due to flash flooding at a local filter plant, according to the city's website. Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2022
Verb
But that data takes time to filter into the government's measure, which tracks all rents. Christopher Rugaber, ajc, 13 Sep. 2022 But that data takes time to filter into the government’s measure, which tracks all rents. Christopher Rugaber, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2022 Brand materials suggest that Felix Gray's amber lenses are designed to filter away more than 23 times the amount of blue light compared to other options on the market, and are designed with sleep in mind. Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 9 Sep. 2022 Mostly, though, Olsson just wanted to filter out people who aren’t into this style of dating, and stop relying on happenstance to find the right match.WIRED, 4 Sep. 2022 First, it is treated at a waste treatment plant, before being passed through course and fine screens to filter out any debris. Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2022 In Mulheim, Germany, physician Beate Jaeger is adapting a controversial approach called H.E.L.P. apheresis, previously used to filter bad cholesterol from the blood of patients with coronary heart disease. Marla Broadfoot, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Aug. 2022 In his email to committee members, Appelbaum touted a report from the jail project’s mechanical engineer, Osborn Engineering, describing the air handling and monitoring equipment that would be installed at the new jail to filter out any toxins. Kaitlin Durbin, cleveland, 17 Aug. 2022 Open all blinds and curtains to allow natural light to filter in and make the rooms appear open and inviting. Kristine Gill, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English filtre "felt, felt carpet, piece of felt used as a filter," borrowed from Medieval Latin filtrum "felt cloth, cover or blanket of felt, piece of felt used as a filter," borrowed from *filtir (going back to *filtizō) in a West Germanic language, plural of *filt-, *felt- "felted cloth" — more at felt entry 1