purify

verb

pu·​ri·​fy ˈpyu̇r-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce purify (audio)
purified; purifying

transitive verb

: to make pure: such as
a
: to clear from material defilement or imperfection
b
: to free from guilt or moral or ceremonial blemish
c
: to free from undesirable elements

intransitive verb

: to grow or become pure or clean

Examples of purify in a Sentence

We purified the water by boiling it. You can purify the air with a filtration system. a bottle of purified water She believed she could purify herself through constant prayer.
Recent Examples on the Web And this isn't the only useful modification found in plants—a company in Paris is now developing a plant with a high-level ability to purify the air. Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Feb. 2024 The researchers targeted seven common plastic types, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which many water bottles are made from, and polyamide, often used in filters to purify water before it’s bottled. Coco Liu, Fortune Well, 10 Jan. 2024 Work that benefits many After all this maintenance and cleaning work, water can be delivered for irrigation and sent to municipal water treatment plants, where it is filtered and purified. Trilce Estrada Olvera, The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2024 Barcelona has avoided water shortages thanks to boosting its costly desalination and water purifying systems, which now account for 55% of all water use in Catalonia. Joseph Wilson and Emilio Morenatti, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Feb. 2024 Through their new partnership with CORE Hydration, the Chloe x Halle pair are starring in a campaign for the water brand, which features products that are purified and enhanced with electrolytes and minerals. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024 About 15 million gallons a day get re-used for things like cooling off the heated equipment used at wastewater plants like this one to purify and treat the sewage. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 2 Feb. 2024 Ben Clay, a former Special Forces soldier working on the case with other military veterans, sent her instructions for how to distill and purify water from non-potable sources such as toilet tanks. Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2024 Computer chip production was a chemically intensive process, and required using caustic, understudied solvents to purify and process chip materials. TIME, 3 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'purify.' 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 purifien, from Anglo-French purifier, from Latin purificare, from Latin purus + -ificare -ify

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of purify was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near purify

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

purify

verb
pu·​ri·​fy ˈpyu̇r-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce purify (audio)
purified; purifying
: to make or become pure
purification
ˌpyu̇r-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on purify

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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