Main Entry: ox·i·dize

Variant(s): also British ox·i·dise \ˈäk-sə-ˌdīz\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): ox·i·dized also British ox·i·dised; ox·i·diz·ing also British ox·i·dis·ing

transitive verb

1 : to combine with oxygen
2 : to dehydrogenate especially by the action of oxygen
3 : to change (a compound) by increasing the proportion of the electronegative part or change (an element or ion) from a lower to a higher positive valence : remove one or more electrons from (an atom, ion, or molecule)

intransitive verb

: to become oxidized

—ox·i·diz·able \-ˌdī-zə-bəl\ adjective