filters
filters — noun
- filterssingular
- filtersesplural
1. a device or material with tiny holes that catches unwanted bits when liquid, air
a device or material with tiny holes that catches unwanted bits when liquid, air, or light passes through it
Yuki poured the tea through a paper filter and handed me the warm cup.
collocation: paper filter
The water filter under Fatima's kitchen sink needed replacing after six months.
collocation: water filter
Diego cleaned the air filter in his car, and the engine started running much better.
A coffee filter made of cloth lasts longer than the paper kind.
The lab technician placed a fine filter over the beaker to catch any solid bits.
2. a thin sheet of glass or plastic that fits over a camera lens to adjust the colo
a thin sheet of glass or plastic that fits over a camera lens to adjust the colour or brightness of the picture
Kwame screwed a red filter onto his lens before shooting the sunset over the lake.
typical use: screw a filter onto a lens
Olga uses a UV filter to protect her expensive camera glass from scratches.
collocation: UV filter
The photographer switched to a polarising filter to cut the glare off the sea.
Hana bought a warming filter to give her portrait shots a soft golden tone.
Without a neutral density filter, the waterfall photos looked too bright and washed out.
- lens filter
interchangeable with this sense in photography contexts
用法筆記
Often used with material names (UV, polarising, neutral density) that describe what kind of light the filter affects. Distinguish from noun sense 4, which is a software effect in an app.
3. a setting or program that picks out or hides certain information from a larger s
a setting or program that picks out or hides certain information from a larger set — for example, showing only emails from last week, or blocking websites with adult content
Jamal set an email filter so messages from his boss go straight to a starred folder.
collocation: email filter
The library website has a filter to show only books published after 2020.
typical use: a filter to + verb phrase
Petra turned on the spam filter and her inbox finally became manageable again.
Parents can activate a content filter to keep young children away from violent videos.
Rashid applied a price filter to show only jackets under two thousand dollars.
- search filter
specifically for narrowing online search results
4. a feature in a photo app or social media platform that changes how a picture loo
a feature in a photo app or social media platform that changes how a picture looks, such as making it black-and-white or adding a warm glow
Keiko tried five different filters on her holiday photo before posting it online.
typical use: try a filter on a photo
Ivan added a vintage filter to make his street photo look like it was taken decades ago.
collocation: vintage filter
The app's newest filter smooths the skin and brightens the eyes in one tap.
Zainab felt the filter made her look nothing like her real self and deleted the picture.
A simple black-and-white filter can turn an ordinary snapshot into something quite striking.
- photo effect
broader term; a filter is one type of photo effect
用法筆記
Common in social media contexts. Different from noun sense 2, which is a physical glass or plastic accessory attached to a camera lens.
5. the mental check that stops a person from blurting out remarks that would hurt,
the mental check that stops a person from blurting out remarks that would hurt, offend, or embarrass others
After three drinks, Tariq's filter disappeared and he told his boss exactly what he thought.
typical use: someone's filter disappears
Most children lack a social filter and will say whatever pops into their heads.
collocation: lack a filter
Amara wished she had a better filter during meetings, as she often blurted out complaints.
A good friend knows when to apply a filter and when to be completely honest.
The new supervisor spoke without any filter, which upset several team members in the first week.
- self-control
broader; covers all kinds of impulses, not just speech
- tact
the natural ability to avoid giving offence; a filter is the internal mechanism behind tact
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'no' or 'without' in everyday speech: 'he has no filter,' 'she speaks without a filter.' Most often applied to blunt or tactless people.
常見錯誤
6. a green arrow on a traffic signal that lets drivers know it is safe to turn in a
a green arrow on a traffic signal that lets drivers know it is safe to turn in a particular direction
Wei waited for the green filter arrow before turning right at the busy crossing.
collocation: filter arrow
The filter arrow at the town hall junction lets drivers turn left before the main light turns green.
typical use: filter arrow at a junction
When the filter arrow went out, Sven braked sharply and stopped behind the white line.
Drivers new to the area often miss the left-turn filter and sit through two light cycles.
A broken filter signal at the intersection caused a long queue of cars waiting to turn.
- turn arrow
American English equivalent
- green arrow
informal term, used in both British and American English
用法筆記
Mainly British English. In American English, drivers say 'turn arrow' or 'green arrow' instead.
7. an electronic component that blocks certain frequencies in a signal — used in au
an electronic component that blocks certain frequencies in a signal — used in audio equipment, radio, and power supplies to clean up unwanted noise
The audio engineer added a low-pass filter to remove the hissing noise from the recording.
collocation: low-pass filter
Fatima's old radio uses a simple filter to separate the different stations from each other.
A power-line filter keeps electrical hum from leaking into the amplifier and spoiling the music.
The new speaker system has a built-in filter that cuts out frequencies the human ear cannot hear.
Without the correct filter in the circuit, the signal became too noisy to decode.
- frequency filter
more descriptive synonym used in introductory explanations
用法筆記
Technical term in electronics and audio engineering. Outside these fields, most speakers use the general sense (noun 1).
filters — verb
- filterspresent simple I / you / we / they
- filterses3rd person singular
- filtersing-ing form
- filtersedpast simple
1. to spread slowly through a group or place in small amounts — said of news, infor
to spread slowly through a group or place in small amounts — said of news, information, people, or light
News of the merger filtered through the office by lunchtime, long before any official announcement.
filter + through (for information spreading)
Sunlight filtered through the thin curtains and woke Diego earlier than he wanted.
filter + through (for light)
Details about the celebrity divorce filtered out slowly over several weeks.
More students filtered into the lecture hall as the morning went on and found seats near the back.
The smell of fresh bread filtered up from the bakery below and filled the whole apartment.
文法句型
filter + through
filter + into
filter + out
用法筆記
Intransitive. Subject is usually news, information, light, or a crowd of people. Often followed by 'through,' 'into,' or 'out.' Distinguish from verb sense 2: this sense describes something moving on its own, not being actively cleaned.
常見錯誤
2. to pass a liquid, gas, or light through a device that catches unwanted particles
to pass a liquid, gas, or light through a device that catches unwanted particles, making it cleaner or clearer
Yuki filtered the cooking oil through a fine cloth to reuse it for frying.
filter + something + through + material
The campers filtered river water before drinking it to avoid getting sick.
filter + something (water)
Kwame filtered the cloudy solution in the chemistry lab until it ran perfectly clear.
The factory must filter its wastewater before releasing it into the stream behind the building.
A specialised mask filters out dust and pollen, helping Olga breathe easier in spring.
文法句型
filter + something
filter + out + something
用法筆記
Transitive. Object is the substance being cleaned (water, air, oil). Use 'filter out' when specifying what is removed: 'filter out impurities.'
3. to sort through information and keep only what you need, hiding or deleting the
to sort through information and keep only what you need, hiding or deleting the rest
Jamal filtered the search results to show only articles written in the last twelve months.
filter + something + to show only + criterion
The software filters customer reviews automatically and flags any that seem fake.
filter + something + automatically
Petra filtered her photo collection by date and found the pictures from her trip to Bangkok.
The analyst filtered out duplicate entries before running the final report.
Filter the spreadsheet by region to see which area had the most sales.
文法句型
filter + something
filter + by + criterion
filter + out + something
用法筆記
Transitive. Object is usually data, results, or information. Common in computing and office contexts. Use 'filter out' to remove items and 'filter by' to narrow down by a criterion.