baptize

verb

bap·​tize bap-ˈtīz How to pronounce baptize (audio)
ˈbap-ˌtīz,
 especially Southern  bab-ˈtīz,
 or  ˈbab-ˌtīz
variants or less commonly baptise
baptized also baptised; baptizing also baptising

transitive verb

1
religion : to administer baptism (see baptism sense 1) to
baptize a child in the Episcopal Church
was baptized a Catholic as an infant
2
a
: to purify or cleanse spiritually especially by a purging (see purge entry 1 sense 1) experience or ordeal
baptized with pain and rapture, tears and fire …Sidney Lanier
b
: initiate
Both developments were baptized under last season's conditions of scanty snow …New York Times
3
: to give a name to (as at baptism) : christen
Theybaptized their son "John" after the baby's grandfather.

intransitive verb

: to administer baptism
baptizer noun

Examples of baptize in a Sentence

The priest baptized the baby. She was baptized at the age of 20.
Recent Examples on the Web Prince William and Kate Middleton chose seven godparents for their eldest son, now 10, when he was baptized in 2013. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024 Nearly 180 million of his fellow Brazilians — 84 percent of the population — were baptized Catholic, Vatican statistics show. Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 Religious groups have played an active role in those efforts, but at the same time Pope Francis has taken steps toward inclusivity, saying last year that transgender people can be baptized, serve as godparents and be witnesses at church weddings. Liam Stack, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Only the clergy can baptize children, marry couples, hear confession and offer Communion. Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024 Speakers stood next to a twelve-foot cross and talked about the walls of Jericho; nearby, a pastor live-streamed himself baptizing attendees in an aluminum trough. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2024 The results spoke for themselves as the Vikings got baptized by the Packers in prime time. Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 2 Jan. 2024 On Thursday, the former college football player and ex-boyfriend of Keke Palmer shared a video montage of himself working out at the gym, alongside a captioned that revealed he'd been baptized. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 15 Dec. 2023 The feather skirt was supposedly sent to the Vatican by the priest who had baptized her. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baptize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French baptiser, from Late Latin baptizare, from Greek baptizein to dip, baptize, from baptein to dip, dye; akin to Old Norse kvefja to quench

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of baptize was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near baptize

Cite this Entry

“Baptize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baptize. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

baptize

verb
bap·​tize bap-ˈtīz How to pronounce baptize (audio)
ˈbap-ˌtīz
baptized; baptizing
1
: to dip in water or sprinkle water on as a part of the ceremony of receiving into the Christian church
2
a
: to make pure in spirit (as by a painful experience)
3
: to give a name to (as in the ceremony of baptism) : christen
baptizer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on baptize

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