galvanize
verb
Did you know?
Luigi Galvani was an Italian physician and physicist who, in the 1770s, studied the electrical nature of nerve impulses by applying electrical stimulation to frogs’ leg muscles, causing them to contract. Although Galvani’s theory that animal tissue contained an innate electrical impulse was disproven, the French word galvanisme came to refer to a current of electricity especially when produced by chemical action, while the verb galvaniser was used for the action of applying such a current (both words were apparently coined by German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who modeled them after the French equivalents of magnetism and magnetize). In English, these words came to life as galvanism and galvanize, respectively. Today their primary senses are figurative: to galvanize a person or group is to spur them into action as if they’ve been jolted with electricity.
Examples of galvanize in a Sentence
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
If anything, the pandemic further galvanized a contentious debate over the efficacy of public funding for news in the United States.
—Corey Hutchins, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
The Gaza protests had been galvanizing for Republicans, who, even before October 7th, had viewed universities as captured by radical thinking on race and politics, rife with grade inflation, and intolerant of conservatives.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
The South African is best known for directing Heart of the Hunter, an adaptation of Deon Meyer’s novel — which performed well on Netflix; and Silverton Siege, also for the streamer, which was inspired by the real-life 1980 bank siege that galvanized the Free Mandela movement.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for galvanize
Cite this Entry
“Galvanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galvanize. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
galvanize
verb
Medical Definition
galvanize
transitive verb
