Percolate means to filter or seep slowly through something, like when water drips through coffee grounds to make coffee. In a percolator (a type of coffee maker), hot water moves up through a tube and then trickles down through the coffee, picking up flavor as it goes. The process happens gradually, not all at once.

The word also describes how ideas or information spread slowly through a group. When a rumor percolates through your school, it moves from person to person over time rather than everyone hearing it at once. When a new trend percolates through society, it starts small and gradually becomes more popular.

You might hear someone say they need to “let an idea percolate” before making a decision. They mean they want to think about it slowly and carefully, letting different thoughts filter through their mind the way water filters through coffee grounds. Just as percolating coffee can’t be rushed without spoiling the flavor, sometimes the best thinking happens when you give ideas time to percolate instead of forcing a quick answer.