baptize

verb

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bap·tize | \ bap-ˈtīz

, ˈbap-ˌtīz, especially Southern bab-ˈtīz or ˈbab-ˌtīz \

variants: or less commonly baptise

baptized also baptised; baptizing also baptising

Definition of baptize

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

2a : 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

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Examples of baptize in a Sentence

The priest baptized the baby. She was baptized at the age of 20.

Recent Examples on the Web The latter-day Coleridge also contributed to the Big Read, recording in Ottery St. Mary, the church where his ancestor was baptized. — Mary Norris, The New Yorker, "The Epic Poem You Need for Quarantine," 15 May 2020 Poroneics and mylings are believed to be what happens when a baby dies before it is baptized in the Christian faith. — Time, "The Witcher Borrows Heavily From European Folklore. Here Are the Myths That Inspired the Netflix Show's Monsters," 20 Dec. 2019 Cassidy recalls with a shudder shooting one scene in which Huisman's character baptizes followers in a lake. — Clark Collis, EW.com, "Game of Thrones star Michiel Huisman is a cult leader in The Other Lamb clip," 3 Apr. 2020 Many of those who got baptized had been going to Churchome for only a few months. — Jennifer Swann, Marie Claire, "Will Worship for Likes," 6 Nov. 2019 In the early 1800s, Spanish soldiers were sent to the area to forcibly recapture a group of Bay Miwok people who had fled a mission after being baptized, according to the Museum of the San Ramon Valley. — Bill Van Niekerken, SFChronicle.com, "Dramatic mountain, dramatic views: Archive photos of Mount Diablo," 18 Mar. 2020 But even while being baptized into the world of auto racing at a young age, Andretti always had a backup plan in mind. — Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star, "John Andretti remembered as visionary racer who put family, friends and strangers above all else," 6 Feb. 2020 One of the honors of my life was witnessing Chris get baptized in the Jordan River during a Hall of Fame trip to Israel. — NBC News, "Chris Doleman, NFL Hall of Famer, dies at 58," 29 Jan. 2020 But evangelicals also control an area where drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and pornography are prohibited, and visiting pastors baptize converts in plastic kiddie pools. — Alex Cuadros, Harper's magazine, "“My Gang Is Jesus”," 20 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'baptize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.