n. 1 sieve, colander, riddle, screen, strainer, gauze, cloth, cheesecloth, membrane To allow the liquid to pass through, a clean filter must be used
v. 2 Sometimes, filter out. strain, screen, sift, winnow, clarify, refine, purify, clean; separate, weed out, exclude, eliminate Some people filter tap water to improve its taste This company would be improved if we could filter out the undesirable elements. 3 leach, percolate, drip, seep, dribble, trickle, drain, run or pass through, ooze The rainwater is filtered through fine sand to purify it