nitrate

noun

ni·​trate ˈnī-ˌtrāt 

-trət

plural nitrates

1

: a salt or ester of nitric acid

2

: sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate used as a fertilizer

3

: any of several nitric-acid esters of cellulose : nitrocellulose

especially : a product (such as celluloid film) made from cellulose nitrate

In the case of the Clark Gable Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), the nitrate original was destroyed before anyone noticed the transferred soundtrack was out of sync.

—Roy Hemming

Examples of nitrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That shift in acidity translated into a much more efficient conversion of nitrate to nitric oxide. — Jennifer Klump, Verywell Health, 17 July 2026

The former offices of the saltpeter mines, which produced the main ingredients used in gunpowder and fertilizer, evoke the past, when thousands of people labored at processing caliche, a nitrate-bearing rock. — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026

They are preserved through curing, smoking or adding chemicals like nitrates and nitrites. — Lauren Manaker Ms, Health, 14 July 2026

Central Iowa businesses and governments remain under a lawn watering ban as Des Moines metro utilities continue to struggle with high nitrate levels in their source water, Central Iowa Waterworks says. — Donnelle Eller, Des Moines Register, 9 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from nitrique

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nitrate

• ammonium nitrate
• amyl nitrate
• cellulose nitrate
• nitrate of soda
• peroxyacetyl nitrate
• potassium nitrate
• silver nitrate
• sodium nitrate

Rhymes for nitrate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

nitrate

noun

ni·​trate ˈnī-ˌtrāt 

-trət

1

: a chemical compound formed by the reaction of nitric acid with another substance

2

: nitrate of sodium or potassium used as a fertilizer

Medical Definition

nitrate

noun

ni·​trate ˈnī-ˌtrāt, -trət 

: a salt or ester of nitric acid