dehydrate

verb

de·​hy·​drate (ˌ)dē-ˈhī-ˌdrāt How to pronounce dehydrate (audio)
dehydrated; dehydrating; dehydrates

transitive verb

1
a
: 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
dehydrator noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To test how ant yogurt could be used in cooking, the research and development team at Alchemist then created three dishes, using live, frozen and dehydrated ants. Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025 Live ants carry the risk of parasites, while freezing or dehydrating the insects can unintentionally allow harmful bacteria to flourish. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025 If your efforts at home are not working and your skin is still dehydrated, contact a dermatologist for an evaluation. Sherri Gordon, Health, 1 Oct. 2025 How to treat norovirus While there is no specific treatment to treat the illness, the CDC recommends drinking lots of water or other drinks, like sports drinks, that don’t have caffeine or alcohol, which dehydrate you. Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dehydrate

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dehydrate was in 1876

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dehydrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dehydrate. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

dehydrate

verb
de·​hy·​drate (ˈ)dē-ˈhī-ˌdrāt How to pronounce dehydrate (audio)
1
: to remove water from (as foods)
2
: to lose water or body fluids
dehydration
ˌdē-ˌhī-ˈdrā-shən
noun

Medical Definition

dehydrate

verb
de·​hy·​drate (ˈ)dē-ˈhī-ˌdrāt How to pronounce dehydrate (audio)
dehydrated; dehydrating

transitive verb

1
: to remove bound water or hydrogen and oxygen from (a chemical compound) in the proportion in which they form water
2
: to remove water from (as foods)

intransitive verb

: to lose water or body fluids
dehydrator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on dehydrate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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