ENGLISH
REFERENCE

filter out

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford General-service

phr. v.. to remove things you do not want from a group so that only the things you need remain.

phr. v.. to remove unwanted components from a set or stream while allowing the desired ones to pass through; often used in contexts of data, light, or physical substances.


SIMPLE

The software helps to filter out spam emails.

CONTEXTUAL

You can use the search settings to filter out results that are not in English.

COMPLEX

The liver functions to filter out toxins from the blood, ensuring that essential nutrients are distributed throughout the body efficiently.

Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
filter + out + object
Usage

commonly used with abstract objects like information, noise, or data, as well as physical substances.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'sort through' (which implies organizing) and 'screen' (which is more formal); use the image of a coffee filter to help students visualize the process.

Pitfall

The system filters out of the errors.The system filters out the errors.the verb is transitive and takes a direct object immediately after the particle 'out' without using 'of'.

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