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
Significant porous absorption is required to make large speakers sound great in a tighter space like a bedroom.
—
Parker Hall, WIRED, 30 Jan. 2025
Look Elsewhere for Parental Control Trend Micro's parental control has been poor and porous for many years.
—PCMAG, 28 Jan. 2025
The trade made the struggling Sharks even worse, at least in the short term, as the team finished last season with the worst record in the league at 19-54-9, with the second-lowest scoring offense (2.20 goals per game) and the most porous defense (3.98 goals allowed per game).
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
Stone was applauded for conceding the obvious about their porous defense in ’24 and the need to correct it immediately.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for porous 
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Parker Hall, WIRED, 30 Jan. 2025
Look Elsewhere for Parental Control Trend Micro's parental control has been poor and porous for many years.
—PCMAG, 28 Jan. 2025
The trade made the struggling Sharks even worse, at least in the short term, as the team finished last season with the worst record in the league at 19-54-9, with the second-lowest scoring offense (2.20 goals per game) and the most porous defense (3.98 goals allowed per game).
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
Stone was applauded for conceding the obvious about their porous defense in ’24 and the need to correct it immediately.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for porous
Dictionary Entries Near porous
Cite this Entry
“Porous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porous. Accessed 2 Feb. 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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