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 porous perimeter defense is something the Knicks can’t afford: The best teams in basketball — the ones New York will have to beat in the playoffs — live at the three-point line.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025
In a globalized world of porous borders and transnational connectivity, a metastasizing threat only remains localized for so long.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025
Bangkok Reuters — Thailand has received 260 human trafficking victims, more than half of them Ethiopians, from Myanmar, its army said on Thursday, in a massive repatriation that comes amid a mounting crackdown on scam centers operating along a porous border.
—Reuters, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025
In particular, trabecular bone — porous bone tissue that acts like a shock absorber — had become significantly thicker.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for porous
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Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025
In a globalized world of porous borders and transnational connectivity, a metastasizing threat only remains localized for so long.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 16 Feb. 2025
Bangkok Reuters — Thailand has received 260 human trafficking victims, more than half of them Ethiopians, from Myanmar, its army said on Thursday, in a massive repatriation that comes amid a mounting crackdown on scam centers operating along a porous border.
—Reuters, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025
In particular, trabecular bone — porous bone tissue that acts like a shock absorber — had become significantly thicker.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for porous
Cite this Entry
“Porous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porous. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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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