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metabolize

verb

me·​tab·​o·​lize mə-ˈta-bə-ˌlīz How to pronounce metabolize (audio)
metabolized; metabolizing

transitive verb

: to subject to metabolism

intransitive verb

: to perform metabolism
metabolizable adjective

Examples of metabolize in a Sentence

Food is metabolized by the body.
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.
Body Chemistry Many factors determine how your body metabolizes (breaks down) turmeric and curcumin. Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 24 Nov. 2025 Microbes metabolize some of the solids, expelling methane gas which then burns out of thin chimney pipes sticking up from the tarps, the flames flickering atop like birthday candles. Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025 Any potential relationship between ultraprocessed foods and colorectal tumors may be explained by the foods possibly altering the gut microbiome and its protective lining, causing chronic inflammation and producing toxic molecules when metabolized, Mendelsohn and Chan said. Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025 The vaginal formulations, for example, generally carry much lower risks than the pill forms, which are metabolized in the liver, yet both came with a black box warning. Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for metabolize

Word History

Etymology

metabol(ic) or metabol(ism) + -ize

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of metabolize was in 1877

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Cite this Entry

“Metabolize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metabolize. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

metabolize

verb
me·​tab·​o·​lize mə-ˈtab-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce metabolize (audio)
metabolized; metabolizing
: to break down by metabolism
food is metabolized by the body

Medical Definition

metabolize

verb
me·​tab·​o·​lize
variants also British metabolise
metabolized also British metabolised; metabolizing also British metabolising

transitive verb

: to subject to metabolism

intransitive verb

: to perform metabolism
metabolizer noun
also British metaboliser

More from Merriam-Webster on metabolize

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