DictionaryfilterGradual movement
verb

filter

To move gradually through or into a place.

Sunlight filters through the leaves into the quiet garden.

Etymology

A filter allows material to pass through while restraining or separating it. The movement sense extends that gradual passage to people, light, information, or other things entering a place.

More examples

  • News filtered slowly into the village.
  • People were filtering through the doorway.
  • The information had filtered down to every department.

Forms

filter · filters · filtered · filtering

Similar words

seep
Often suggests slow movement through small openings.
trickle
Trickle similarly suggests gradual passage but often emphasizes small numbers or quantities.