filter
verb/ˈfɪltə(r)/
/ˈfɪltər/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they filter | /ˈfɪltə(r)/ /ˈfɪltər/ |
| he / she / it filters | /ˈfɪltəz/ /ˈfɪltərz/ |
| past simple filtered | /ˈfɪltəd/ /ˈfɪltərd/ |
| past participle filtered | /ˈfɪltəd/ /ˈfɪltərd/ |
| -ing form filtering | /ˈfɪltərɪŋ/ /ˈfɪltərɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] filter something to pass liquid, light, etc. through a special device, especially to remove something that is not wanted
- All drinking water must be filtered.
- Use a sun block that filters UVA effectively.
- (figurative) My secretary is very good at filtering my calls (= making sure that calls that I do not want do not get through).
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- [transitive, intransitive] to use a special program to check or sort the content of emails, websites or apps
- filter something (from something) Filtering executable attachments from emails will guard against this virus.
- filter (something) (by something) You can go on their website and filter by size, colour and price.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. (of people) to move slowly in a particular direction
- The doors opened and people started filtering through.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. (of information, news, etc.) to slowly become known
- More details about the crash are filtering through.
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. (of light or sound) to come into a place slowly or in small amounts
- Sunlight filtered in through the curtains.
- [intransitive] (British English) (of traffic at traffic lights) to turn left (or right) at traffic lights while other vehicles wanting to go straight ahead or turn right (or left) must waitTopics Transport by car or lorryc2
Word Originlate Middle English (denoting a piece of felt): from French filtre, from medieval Latin filtrum ‘felt used as a filter’, of West Germanic origin and related to felt.
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