1
as in to purge
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially
Catholics go to confession to be purified
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2
as in to filter
to remove usually visible impurities from
purify the water by distillation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of purify
The experiences move in a circuit of hot and cold, dry and humid, punctuated by serene spaces like the Silent Salt Relax Room, where a glowing Himalayan salt wall purifies the air.
—
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2025
Less pure sand can be purified by methods such as acid washing or magnetic separation.
—Aki Ishida, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Hadid designed a rainwater collection and a water management system, which stores and purifies water from local wetlands and helps prevent flooding.
—Mae Hamilton, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
Playing the character, much like Alicent Hightower in her stubbornness and strength, has been something of a purifying experience for Cooke.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purify
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2025
Less pure sand can be purified by methods such as acid washing or magnetic separation.
—Aki Ishida, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Hadid designed a rainwater collection and a water management system, which stores and purifies water from local wetlands and helps prevent flooding.
—Mae Hamilton, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
Playing the character, much like Alicent Hightower in her stubbornness and strength, has been something of a purifying experience for Cooke.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purify
Verb
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Jews were purged from the Soviet Foreign Ministry in 1939, when the Soviet Union signed a pact with Nazi Germany, and antisemitic show trials followed not long after Germany’s defeat.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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Many of China’s top military officials have been purged during Xi’s third term on charges of corruption or disloyalty.—
PHILIP H. GORDON,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rather than fighting this inevitable tide, Köhler closely examines the subject without didacticism, filtering it through a passive-aggressive relationship drama, until only its most potent ingredients remain.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
28 Sep. 2025
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From across the hall, the sounds of a raucous clubhouse celebration filtered in.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Try washing the tint out with a clarifying shampoo or a deep treatment mask like Matrix Biolage HydraSource Deep Treatment Hair Mask right away.—
Maureen Choi,
Glamour,
25 Sep. 2025
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So, which clarifying shampoo is best for you?—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Orange City Council stopped short this week of approving major safety upgrades to the historic Old Towne Orange traffic circle, instead asking city staff to gather more crash data and refine safety proposals.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
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With the initial design phase complete, Type One Energy hopes to refine its models further using Frontier, ORNL’s current, more powerful supercomputer, to increase confidence in the design before construction begins.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Brandon was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene and helped extract her body from the vehicle.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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An en-route hydrovac crew would extract the water, and an on-the-way front loader would remove the mud and debris, ADOT added.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The vacuum's flexible neck made cleaning under chairs, the couch, and around tight corners simple.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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When traveling, make sure to clean your clothes, boat, animals and gear off afterward to prevent the spread of invasive species to other areas.—
Gabrielle Chenault,
Nashville Tennessean,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Appetizer options include mini crab cakes and salmon bites, served alongside an assortment of specialty cocktails to wash it all down.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Sep. 2025
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The lid and straw can be quickly washed by hand, though some reviewers recommend using a straw cleaner for better scrubbing.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purify. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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