liquefy

verb

liq·​ue·​fy ˈli-kwə-ˌfī How to pronounce liquefy (audio)
variants or less commonly liquify
liquefied; liquefying

transitive verb

: to reduce to a liquid state

intransitive verb

: to become liquid
liquefier noun

Examples of liquefy in a Sentence

The vegetables were liquefied in a blender. The plastic liquefied in the intense heat.
Recent Examples on the Web Then more flexible, bendable or even liquefied forms of time come into their own. Quanta Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 The brands with the most at stake as the NCAA’s economic model begins to liquefy. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024 And liquefying the gas for transport in oceangoing tankers is energy-intensive. Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 And so what would happen is these sort of salts began to liquefy. Johanna Mayer, Scientific American, 16 Nov. 2023 From 1949, when his early figurative pictures finally liquefied into stains of translucent color, Rothko painted with no allusions, no particulars. Jason Farago, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023 Warm up caramel: Set Dutch oven with caramel over low heat until sugar is liquefied if cooled. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2023 There’s a powerful stench from the pipes, plastic and fiberglass boats that have liquefied into an evil soup now floating in the harbor. Bill Weir, CNN, 11 Aug. 2023 Brent is an international benchmark that underpins prices for much of the crude and liquefied natural gas that trades globally each day. David Uberti, WSJ, 31 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liquefy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English liquefien, from Anglo-French liquefier, from Latin liquefacere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of liquefy was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near liquefy

Cite this Entry

“Liquefy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liquefy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

liquefy

verb
liq·​ue·​fy ˈlik-wə-ˌfī How to pronounce liquefy (audio)
liquefied; liquefying
: to make or become liquid
liquefiable
-ˌfī-ə-bəl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on liquefy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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