variants
or less commonly baptise
baptized also baptised; baptizing also baptising
1
religion
: to administer baptism (see baptism sense 1) to
baptize a child in the Episcopal Church
was baptized a Catholic as an infant
2
a
: 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
Sidney Lanier
b
: initiate
Both developments were baptized under last season's conditions of scanty snow …—New York Times
New York Times3
: to give a name to (as at baptism) : christen
They baptized their son "John" after the baby's grandfather.
: to administer baptism
baptizer
noun
Examples of baptize in a Sentence
The priest baptized the baby.
She was baptized at the age of 20.
Recent Examples on the Web
Within a decade, the king of Kongo was baptized as a Catholic, changing his name from Nzinga a Nkuwu to João I.
Nzinga Mbemba succeeded João I as King Afonso I with the support of Portuguese clergy.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 12 July 2025
Vance was baptized Catholic at St. Gertrude Church in Cincinnati, about a 15-minute drive from his home.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Their oldest child, Ewan, has decided to be baptized Catholic.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Roughly a century later, in 1699, the tenth guru prohibited baptized Sikhs from cutting their hair, and the turban became enshrined as a martial and spiritual requirement for men.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for baptize
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Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 12 July 2025
Vance was baptized Catholic at St. Gertrude Church in Cincinnati, about a 15-minute drive from his home.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Their oldest child, Ewan, has decided to be baptized Catholic.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Roughly a century later, in 1699, the tenth guru prohibited baptized Sikhs from cutting their hair, and the turban became enshrined as a martial and spiritual requirement for men.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for baptize
Cite this Entry
“Baptize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baptize. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
baptize
verb
bap·tize
bap-ˈtīz 
ˈbap-ˌtīz
baptized; baptizing
1
: to dip in water or sprinkle water on as a part of the ceremony of receiving into the Christian church
2
a
: to make pure in spirit (as by a painful experience)
3
: to give a name to (as in the ceremony of baptism) : christen
baptizer
noun
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