petrify
verb
pet·ri·fy
ˈpe-trə-ˌfī 
petrified; petrifying
1
: to convert (organic matter) into stone or a substance of stony hardness by the infiltration of water and the deposition of dissolved mineral matter
2
: to make rigid or inert like stone:
a
: to make lifeless or inactive : deaden
slogans are apt to petrify a man's thinking—
Saturday Rev.
Saturday Rev.
b
: to confound with fear, amazement, or awe
a novel about an airline pilot that will petrify you—Martin Levin
Martin Levin
: to become stone or of stony hardness or rigidity
Examples of petrify in a Sentence
the processes that petrify wood
The dead tree petrified into stone.
Recent Examples on the Web
The only issue is his mother Laura (Wright), a woman who has lost a child once before and is petrified of a repeat.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
So don’t go around being petrified of having your esophagus rupture someday.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Nearly every day brings a fresh breach of what were once thought to be the rules, moves that have thrilled his insurgent supporters and petrified his nervous opponents.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Some three-dimensional metallic roses grew on their shiny reflective surfaces, with an important symbolism that served as a fit rouge for the entire collection: as fragile objects suddenly petrified, their hardened fragility was the designer’s own.
—Giorgia Feroldi, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petrify
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Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
So don’t go around being petrified of having your esophagus rupture someday.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Nearly every day brings a fresh breach of what were once thought to be the rules, moves that have thrilled his insurgent supporters and petrified his nervous opponents.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Some three-dimensional metallic roses grew on their shiny reflective surfaces, with an important symbolism that served as a fit rouge for the entire collection: as fragile objects suddenly petrified, their hardened fragility was the designer’s own.
—Giorgia Feroldi, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petrify
Cite this Entry
“Petrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petrify. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
petrify
verb
pet·ri·fy
ˈpe-trə-ˌfī
petrified; petrifying
Medical Definition
petrify
verb
pet·ri·fy
ˈpe-trə-ˌfī
petrified; petrifying
: to convert (organic matter) into stone or a stony substance
: to become stone or like stone
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