purify

verb

pu·ri·fy | \ ˈpyu̇r-ə-ˌfī

purified; purifying

Definition of purify

transitive verb

: to make pure: such as

a : to clear from material defilement or imperfection

b : to free from guilt or moral or ceremonial blemish

c : to free from undesirable elements

intransitive verb

: to grow or become pure or clean

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Examples of purify in a Sentence

We purified the water by boiling it. You can purify the air with a filtration system. a bottle of purified water She believed she could purify herself through constant prayer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Rikishis often toss a handful onto the dirt floor before competing, a tradition meant to purify the air. — Jill Langlois, Los Angeles Times, "In Brazil, land of beaches and samba, a sumo wrestling academy thrives," 10 Sep. 2019 Beyond mitigating climate change, trees help purify water, clean air, and provide homes to wildlife, so there’s a lot to take into account. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Restoring forests may be one of our most powerful weapons in fighting climate change," 5 July 2019 Forests’ other valuable functions, like purifying water, mitigating air pollution, and drawing tourists, also help make a strong policy case for restoring forests while creating pressure to deter further deforestation. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Restoring forests may be one of our most powerful weapons in fighting climate change," 5 July 2019 Western Springs gets its water from wells, which are pumped to the treatment plant on Hillgrove Avenue to be softened and purified. — Diane Dachota, chicagotribune.com, "As drilling begins for new well in Western Springs, another is shut down for repairs," 5 Aug. 2019 But there was an emphasis on purifying the worship service from rituals that had been established since the first century. — Jamie Quatro, The New Yorker, "The Hidden Life of a Forgotten Sixteenth-Century Female Poet," 5 Aug. 2019 Dershowitz said he was appalled, given the Nazis’ use of eugenics to justify their genocidal effort to purify the Aryan race. — Matthew Goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Jeffrey Epstein, surrounded by scientific luminaries, hoped to seed the human race with his DNA," 31 July 2019 Rituals on the fourth day include purifying the deity with panchamrita, the five nectars: honey, cow milk, liquid cane sugar, yoghurt and clarified butter. — Washington Post, "AP Photos: Indian mother prays to ‘bleeding goddess’ for son," 11 July 2019 The formula blends purifying clove and tea tree in a base of fatty acid-rich grapeseed oil, which works to strengthen the skin's barrier and combat uneven skin tone. — Allure, "The 14 Best Facial Oils for Acne-Prone Skin for 2019," 5 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'purify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.