1
a
: possessing or full of pores
b
: containing vessels
hardwood is porous
2
a
: permeable to fluids
b
: permeable to outside influences
3
: capable of being penetrated
porous national boundaries
porously
adverb
porousness
noun
Examples of porous in a Sentence
The country has a porous border.
a cleaner that should not be used on porous surfaces
Recent Examples on the Web
The clay is porous, and eventually, plain water in the pot will pick up notes from the leaves.
—
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
The old silos that gave us separate disciplines will still exist but the walls separating them will need to become porous.
—Big Think, 13 June 2024
The land is made of karst, a porous bedrock that allows water to slowly carve away the stone, leaving crevices, caverns and caves.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 15 May 2024
Over decades, the build-up of impervious surfaces such as roads and buildings are producing more and more runoff that, in turn, stresses dam systems built when roads were often porous dirt and there were fewer people.
—Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for porous 
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
The old silos that gave us separate disciplines will still exist but the walls separating them will need to become porous.
—Big Think, 13 June 2024
The land is made of karst, a porous bedrock that allows water to slowly carve away the stone, leaving crevices, caverns and caves.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 15 May 2024
Over decades, the build-up of impervious surfaces such as roads and buildings are producing more and more runoff that, in turn, stresses dam systems built when roads were often porous dirt and there were fewer people.
—Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for porous
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'porous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near porous
Cite this Entry
“Porous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porous. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
porous
adjective
po·rous
ˈpōr-əs 
ˈpȯr-
1
: full of pores
2
: capable of absorbing liquids
Medical Definition
porous
adjective
po·rous
ˈpōr-əs, ˈpȯr-
1
: possessing or full of pores
porous bones
2
: permeable to fluids
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