FILTER

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does filter mean? 

• FILTER (noun)
  The noun FILTER has 2 senses:

1. device that removes something from whatever passes through it

2. an electrical device that alters the frequency spectrum of signals passing through it

  Familiarity information: FILTER used as a noun is rare.

• FILTER (verb)
  The verb FILTER has 3 senses:

1. remove by passing through a filter

2. pass through

3. run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream

  Familiarity information: FILTER used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FILTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Device that removes something from whatever passes through it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("filter" is a kind of...):

device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "filter"):

bacteria bed (layer of sand or gravel used to expose sewage effluent to air and the action of microorganisms)

diatomaceous earth; diatomite; kieselguhr (a light soil consisting of siliceous diatom remains and often used as a filtering material)

glass wool (glass fibers spun and massed into bundles resembling wool)

water filter (a filter to remove impurities from the water supply)

strainer (a filter to retain larger pieces while smaller pieces and liquids pass through)

oil filter (a filter that removes impurities from the oil used to lubricate an internal-combustion engine)

diffusing screen; light filter (a transparent filter that reduces the light (or some wavelengths of the light) passing through it)

fuel filter (a filter in the fuel line that screens out dirt and rust particles from the fuel)

filter bed (filter consisting of a layer of sand or gravel for filtering water)

drain basket (a filter in a sink drain; traps debris but passes water)

coffee filter (filter (usually of paper) that passes the coffee and retains the coffee grounds)

air cleaner; air filter (a filter that removes dust from the air that passes through it)

Derivation:

filter; filtrate (remove by passing through a filter)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An electrical device that alters the frequency spectrum of signals passing through it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("filter" is a kind of...):

electrical device (a device that produces or is powered by electricity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "filter"):

high-pass filter (a filter that passes frequencies above a certain value and attenuates frequencies below that value)

low-pass filter (a filter that passes frequencies below a certain value and attenuates frequencies above that value)

• FILTER (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they filter    ... he / she / it filters   
Past simple: filtered   
Past participle: filtered   
-ing form: filtering   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Remove by passing through a filter

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

filter; filter out; filtrate; separate out; strain

Context example:

filter out the impurities

Hypernyms (to "filter" is one way to...):

separate (divide into components or constituents)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

filter (device that removes something from whatever passes through it)

filtrate (the product of filtration; a gas or liquid that has been passed through a filter)

filtration (the act of changing a fluid by passing it through a filter)

filtration (the process whereby fluids pass through a filter or a filtering medium)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Pass through

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

filter; percolate; permeate; sink in

Context example:

Water permeates sand easily

Hypernyms (to "filter" is one way to...):

penetrate; perforate (pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "filter"):

infiltrate (pass into or through by filtering or permeating)

infiltrate (cause (a liquid) to enter by penetrating the interstices)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

filtration (the act of changing a fluid by passing it through a filter)

filtration (the process whereby fluids pass through a filter or a filtering medium)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

dribble; filter; trickle

Context example:

reports began to dribble in

Hypernyms (to "filter" is one way to...):

course; feed; flow; run (move along, of liquids)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "filter"):

leach; percolate (permeate or penetrate gradually)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sentence example:

Water and oil filter into the bowl

 Context examples 

The researchers are not the first to explore biological filters using xanthates to remove arsenic from drinking water.

(Watermelon rind a cheap filter for arsenic in groundwater, SciDev.Net)

Characteristic of a filter that gives the upper limit for the frequency content that essentially passes through it.

(Filter Cutoff Frequency, NCI Thesaurus)

A filter designed to remove bacteria from a gas or liquid.

(Bacterial Filter Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

The process of passing a liquid or gas through a filter.

(Filtration, NCI Thesaurus)

A home-made filter system using layers of soil and gravel cleans domestic waste water well enough to make it suitable for irrigation, a research team in Morocco has found.

(Soil-based filter bricks clean up water for Moroccan farmers, SciDev.Net)

Filters may be used in cigarettes to help trap tar and other harmful substances found in tobacco smoke.

(Filter, NCI Dictionary)

Both types filter your blood to rid your body of harmful wastes, extra salt, and water.

(Dialysis, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

A filter designed to remove something from the expiration stream of a ventilator.

(Exhalation Filter Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

PP4 forms a voltage-dependent membrane Ca(2+) channel; key amino acids act as selectivity filters and voltage sensors, regulating pore permeability to ions.

(Annexin A5 Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

The percentage of the total sodium filtered by the kidney that is excreted in the urine.

(Fractional Excretion of Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)