dehydrate

verb

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de·hy·drate | \ (ˌ)dē-ˈhī-ˌdrāt

dehydrated; dehydrating; dehydrates

Definition of dehydrate

transitive verb

1a : to remove bound water or hydrogen and oxygen from (a chemical compound) in the proportion in which they form water

b : to remove water from (something, such as a food)

2 : to deprive of vitality or savor

intransitive verb

: to lose water or body fluids

Other Words from dehydrate Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about dehydrate

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Did You Know?

Dehydrating food is a good way to preserve it; raisins, which are dehydrated grapes, are a good example. Dehydration through industrial processes makes it possible to keep food even longer and store it in a smaller space. Freeze-drying produces food that only needs rehydration—that is, the addition of water—to restore its original consistency. Runners, cyclists, and hikers fearful of dehydration seem to be constantly hydrating themselves nowadays, sometimes even using a shoulder pack with a tube going straight into the mouth. Dehydrate can also be used for making something "dry" or "lifeless;" thus, a dull teacher can dehydrate American history, and an unimaginative staging can dehydrate a great Shakespeare play.

Examples of dehydrate in a Sentence

Salt dehydrates the meat and keeps it from spoiling. Athletes drink lots of water so they don't dehydrate. Exercising in this heat will dehydrate you.

Recent Examples on the Web Most ovens don’t have low enough temperature settings to properly dehydrate foods, meaning something like the Nesco Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator is a great tool for a lot of people to have. — Josh Grant, USA TODAY, "30 amazing gifts you can buy from Home Depot," 30 Oct. 2020 Others are rightfully marketed as four-in-one devices that might have a basic temperature control system to allow users to dehydrate, roast, and bake foods with a little more granular precision (see next section). — Popsci Commerce Team, Popular Science, "Best air fryer: Five things to consider," 4 Dec. 2020 The Instant Pot Duo Crisp is an 11-in-1 device that can roast, bake, air fry, dehydrate, broil and more. — Cnn Underscored Staff, CNN Underscored, "All the best Black Friday deals you can shop at Amazon right now," 24 Nov. 2020 This model has all the air frying necessities plus several lower heat ranges that allow users to dehydrate foods and proof dough. — Liv Birdsall, USA TODAY, "The 40 best gifts to buy from Wayfair," 5 Nov. 2020 The amount of time varies based on the herb: Tender herbs will dehydrate faster than hardy ones. — Nicole Papantoniou, Good Housekeeping, "How to Store Fresh Herbs," 17 Sep. 2020 Get the best of both worlds with this combo kitchen gadget that will bake, roast, toast, fry, reheat, grill and dehydrate your food. — Lesley Kennedy, CNN Underscored, "Shop Labor Day deals at The Home Depot for patio, kitchen, storage and more," 4 Sep. 2020 The salts appear to dehydrate fairly quickly on the surface, at least, astronomically speaking. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Dwarf planet Ceres is an ocean world with salty water under the surface, NASA mission finds," 11 Aug. 2020 The second-generation ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter Box ($139.85) uses disposable trays pre-filled with crystal litter, which is said to quickly absorb urine and dehydrate solid waste to provide fewer odors than regular clumping litter. — Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, "Want to keep spoiling your pets during the coronavirus pandemic? Here’s the latest in 'pet tech'," 8 Aug. 2020

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

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