Dictionary

filter en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɪltɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈfɪltə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English filtre, from Medieval Latin filtrum (compare also Old French feutre (“felt; filter”)), from Frankish *filtir, from Proto-West Germanic *felt. See felt. Doublet of phin.

Meanings

1. A device which separates a suspended, dissolved, or particulate matter from a fluid, solution, or other substance; any device that separates one substance from another.
   • Then add four drops of crocodile semen, and pass the mixture through a filter. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 152:
2. Electronics or software that separates unwanted signals (for example noise) from wanted signals or that attenuates selected frequencies.
3. Any item, mechanism, device, or procedure that acts to separate or isolate.
   • He runs an email filter to catch the junk mail.
   • In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result. If the bumf arrived electronically, the take-up rate was 0.1%. And for online adverts the “conversion” into sales was a minuscule 0.01%. That means about $165 billion was spent not on drumming up business, but on annoying people, creating landfill and cluttering spam filters. 2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:
4. (figuratively) Self-restraint in speech.
   • These were women with enormous feelings and, almost always, no filter to mediate their expression of them. 2026 January 30, Judy Berman, “Catherine O’Hara Portrayed the Vain and Delusional With a Radical Lack of Vanity”, in TIME, archived from the original on 01 Feb 2026:
   • He's got no filter, and he's always offending people as a result.
5. A non-empty upper set (of a partially ordered set) which is closed under binary infima (a.k.a. meets).
   • The collection of cofinite subsets of ℝ is a filter under inclusion: it includes the intersection of every pair of its members, and includes every superset of every cofinite set.
   • If (1) the universal set (here, the set of natural numbers) were called a "large" set, (2) the superset of any "large" set were also a "large" set, and (3) the intersection of a pair of "large" sets were also a "large" set, then the set of all "large" sets would form a filter.
6. A translucent object placed in the light path of a camera to remove certain wavelengths (colors), or a computer program that simulates such an effect.
7. (qualifier:social media) An appearance-altering digital image effect.
   • He don't need no filter posting pictures! 2013, Patent Pending, “All-Star Hipster”, in Brighter:

Forms

Antonyms

ideal (antonym(s) of “order theory”)

Deriveds

refilter · unfilter · alpha-beta filter · subfilter · bozo filter · superfilter · LMS filter · water filter · comb filter · Bayer filter · underfilter · filterlike · Kalman filter · filtermat · filtrand · filterman · intrafilter · clear-filter · filter lane · Mitchell-Netravali filter · median filter · filter tube · biofilter · modal filter · pop filter · bogon filter · filter down · filter coffee · haemofilter · notch filter · filter-feeder · filter up · highpass filter · filter bubble · wordfilter · Butterworth filter · minifilter · multifilter · Gabor filter · hemofilter · filtrate · Bloom filter · filter funnel · filter bed · ultrafilter · overfilter · diafilter · filter tip · portafilter · Savitzky-Golay filter · Ormsby filter · Wiener filter · nanofilter · diesel particulate filter · filter paper · dust filter · electrofilter · filterset · filterplate · filtergram · leukofilter · killfilter · filterless · filter bank · filter in turn · filter pad · filter card · interfilter · filter cake · piss filter · filterware · filter feeder · Great Filter · Gooch filter · filtertop · nonfilter · chemofilter · interference filter · microfilter · bitfilter

Descendants

필터 · フィルター

Hyponyms

Great Filter · glare filter · cigarette filter · air filter · ultrafilter · sun filter · intent filter · oil filter · Christiansen filter · Sobel filter · fuel filter

Translations (161)

ky фильтр (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · be фільтр (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ru фильтр (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · el διυλιστήριο (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · scn firtru (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · fa صافی (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sh фѝлтер (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · eo filtrilo (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ota فیلتره (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ko 필터 (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sq filtër (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ur مصفات (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · scn firtru (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · ko 여과기 (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · az filtr (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · kmr fîlter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ug سۈزگۈچ (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ru фильтр (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · es filtro (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · fa فیلتر (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pt crivo (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ast filtru (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · tg филтр (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · kk сүзгі (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · mr फिल्टर (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · hu szűrő (collection of subsets) · cmn 濾過器 /滤过器 (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · cmn 濾器 /滤器 (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ur فلٹر (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ja フィルター (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · fi suodin (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · hi फ़िल्टर (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sh фѝлтар (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · af filter (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · vi phin (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · tl panala (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sv filter (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · hy ֆիլտր (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pt filtro (digital image effect used on social media) · ckb پاڵێوەر (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · uz filʼtr (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · gl filtro (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · mi tātari (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · fi suodatin (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · is sía (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sv filter (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · my လေစစ် (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · bn ফিল্টার (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · uz suzgʻich (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sv filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · cmn 過濾器 /过滤器 (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · hu szűrő (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pl filtr (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · ko 려과기 (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · de Filter (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · cs filtr (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · lv filtrs (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · ja 濾波器 (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · fr filtre (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · lo ເຄື່ອງກອງ (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · el φίλτρο (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · nb filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · my စစ် (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ur صافی (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sl filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · kmr parzûn (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · vi bộ lọc (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · fi suodin (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · ko 필터 (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · pt filtro (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · fr filtre (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · lv kāstuve (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · is sía (collection of subsets) · tg обполо (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · da filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · fi suodatin (collection of subsets) · ar مِصْفَايَة (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ar فِلْتَر (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · sh fìltar (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · af filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · de Filter (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · ko 려과기 (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ko 여과기 (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · my ရေစစ်အိုး (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · he מַסנֵן (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pl filtr (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · uz filtr (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · la liquatorium (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sw kichujio (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · sh fìlter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ru фильтр (collection of subsets) · pl filtr (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · cs filtr (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · hi साफी (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · vi cái lọc (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · ms penapis (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · fi suodin (collection of subsets) · tr filtre (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pt filtro (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · mr गाळणी (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · nl filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ka ფილტრი (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ru фильтр (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · fr filtre (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · uk фільтр (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · uk фільтр (collection of subsets) · nl filter (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · vi máy lọc (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ja フィルター (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · kk сүзгіш (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · yi פֿילטער (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · bg фи́лтър (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · lt filtras (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · mn шүүлтүүр (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · de Filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ro filtru (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ps فيلټر (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · el διηθητικό κύκλωμα (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · lv filtrs (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · fi suodatin (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · oc filtre (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · bg фи́лтър (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · fi suodin (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · scn firtru (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ps فلتر (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pdt Säw (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · it filtro (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · fa فیلتر (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · tk filtr (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pt filtro (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pt crivo (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · haw kānana (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · sw kichungi (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · cs filtr (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · af filter (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · nl filter (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · lv kāstuve (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · el φίλτρο (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · el διυλιστήριο (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ca filtre (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · lb Filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · haw kālana (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · et filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · ja フィルター (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · th กรอง (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · my ရေစစ် (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · mk филтер (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · th เครื่องกรอง (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · lo ເຄື່ອງຕອງ (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · vi bộ lọc (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · ja 濾過器 (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · pl filtr (collection of subsets) · lv filtrs (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · grc ὑλιστήρ (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · gl filtro (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · vi lọc (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal) · gl filtro (any device or procedure that acts to separate or isolate) · sk filter (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · fi suodatin (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · km តម្រង (device for separating impurities from a fluid or other substance) · cmn 濾波器 /滤波器 (electronics or software to separate unwanted signal)

filter en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɪltɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈfɪltə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English filtre, from Medieval Latin filtrum (compare also Old French feutre (“felt; filter”)), from Frankish *filtir, from Proto-West Germanic *felt. See felt. Doublet of phin.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To sort, sift, or isolate.
   • Receivers often incorporate digital equalisers to 'mop up' slight intersymbol interference after initial filtering at the receiver. 1992, Chris C. Bissell, David A. Chapman, Digital signal transmission (2nd edition), Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 147:
   • This strainer should filter out the large particles.
   • But fans’ emotions are no longer filtered through ticket or album sales; they’re heard directly, constantly, at all hours, on all the platforms people visit to generate and extinguish bad feelings in a never-ending cycle. 2022 October 25, Willy Staley, “The Try Guys and the Prison of Online Fame”, in The New York Times Magazine:
   • “You have probably never seen anything like this before, Mr. Toler. It is baleen, or if you prefer it, whalebone, taken from the mouth of the bowhead whale. It is used by the whale to filter its food.” 1954, Alexander Alderson, chapter 5, in The Subtle Minotaur:
2. (transitive) To diffuse; to cause to be less concentrated or focused.
   • The leaves of the trees filtered the light.
3. (intransitive) To pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter.
   • The water filtered through the rock and soil.
4. (intransitive) To move slowly or gradually; to come or go a few at a time.
   • The crowd filtered into the theater.
5. (intransitive) To ride a motorcycle between lanes on a road
   • I can skip past all the traffic on my bike by filtering.
6. (derogatory, intransitive, slang) To be discouraged where a connoisseur or hardcore fan would not.
   • Most people get filtered by that episode.

Forms

Deriveds

refilter · unfilter · subfilter · prefilter · underfilter · filterability · filterable · defilter · overfilter · filterer · postfilter · misfilter

Relateds

filtrate · filtride · filtration

Synonyms

to filter out (to sort, sift, or isolate)

Translations (91)

vi thấm vào (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · pl sączyć się (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · it filtrare (to sort, sift, or isolate) · el φιλτράρω (to sort, sift, or isolate) · lv filtrēties (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · la sacco (to sort, sift, or isolate) · sw chunga (to diffuse) · nl druppelen (to come or go a few at a time) · pl rozproszyć (to diffuse) · de passieren (to come or go a few at a time) · nl sijpelen (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · lv filtrēt (to sort, sift, or isolate) · fi tippua (to come or go a few at a time) · el φιλτράρω (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · de filtern (to diffuse) · gl filtrar (to sort, sift, or isolate) · ota سوزمك (to sort, sift, or isolate) · fi hajottaa (to diffuse) · oc filtrar (to sort, sift, or isolate) · it filtrare (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · lb filtréieren (to sort, sift, or isolate) · de filtrieren (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · la liquo (to sort, sift, or isolate) · vi thấm qua (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · fi suodattaa (to sort, sift, or isolate) · nl filteren (to sort, sift, or isolate) · fi valua (to come or go a few at a time) · rup stricor (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · pl przenikać (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · lv kāst (to sort, sift, or isolate) · cs filtrovat (to sort, sift, or isolate) · fi siivilöidä (sift) (to sort, sift, or isolate) · oc filtrar (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · ro filtra (to sort, sift, or isolate) · es filtrar (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · sw chunga (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · bg просмуквам се (to diffuse) · ru фильтрова́ться (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · vi ngấm qua (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · ru просочи́ться (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · mr गाळणे (to sort, sift, or isolate) · uk фільтрува́тися (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · ro strecura (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · ca filtrar (to sort, sift, or isolate) · fi erottua (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · nl sijpelen (to come or go a few at a time) · gd sìolaidh (to diffuse) · lt filtruoti (to sort, sift, or isolate) · gd sìolaidh (to sort, sift, or isolate) · grc διυλίζω (to sort, sift, or isolate) · pt filtrar (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · la percolō (to sort, sift, or isolate) · es filtrar (to sort, sift, or isolate) · af filtreer (to sort, sift, or isolate) · vi lọc (to sort, sift, or isolate) · eo filtri (to sort, sift, or isolate) · pl napływać powoli (to come or go a few at a time) · as ছেকা (to sort, sift, or isolate) · ast filtriar (to sort, sift, or isolate) · sv filtrera (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · pl rozpraszać (to diffuse) · uk фільтрувати (to sort, sift, or isolate) · pt filtrar (to sort, sift, or isolate) · sw chungi (to sort, sift, or isolate) · qu ch'illchichiy (to sort, sift, or isolate) · lb filteren (to sort, sift, or isolate) · he סינן (to sort, sift, or isolate) · bg филтри́рам (to sort, sift, or isolate) · ro filtra (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · fi siivilöityä (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · pl sączyć się (to come or go a few at a time) · fi erottaa (to sort, sift, or isolate) · ru профильтрова́ть (to sort, sift, or isolate) · vi xâm nhập (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · gd sìolaidh (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · el διηθώ (to sort, sift, or isolate) · nl filteren (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · bg филтри́рам се (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · ru фильтрова́ть (to sort, sift, or isolate) · de filtern (to sort, sift, or isolate) · el διυλίζω (to sort, sift, or isolate) · fi suodattua (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · pl filtrować (to sort, sift, or isolate) · lt košti (to sort, sift, or isolate) · el διυλίζω (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · ru отфильтрова́ть (to sort, sift, or isolate) · ru проса́чиваться (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · pl przeniknąć (to pass through a filter or to act as though passing through a filter) · sw chunga (to come or go a few at a time) · sv filtrera (to sort, sift, or isolate) · de filtrieren (to come or go a few at a time)