1
: a salt or ester of sulfuric acid
2
: a divalent group or anion SO4 characteristic of sulfuric acid and the sulfates
Examples of sulfate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2026
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Sinomine Resource Group are also constructing lithium sulfate plants tied to their Zimbabwean mines, raising questions about whether the country is building an independent refining sector or simply deepening its role inside China’s battery ecosystem.
—Ray Mwayera, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2025
When the battery overheats, the water in the sulfuric acid solution within its case will boil and escape, leaving dry lead plates behind, which sulfate and lose their capacity.
—Randy Zellers, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sulfate
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Noun
Other prominent arsenic peaks, alongside major sulfate peaks, likely indicate major volcanic events that align with records of 13th century eruptions recorded in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores.
—Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2026
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Sinomine Resource Group are also constructing lithium sulfate plants tied to their Zimbabwean mines, raising questions about whether the country is building an independent refining sector or simply deepening its role inside China’s battery ecosystem.
—Ray Mwayera, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
Sulfur oxidation gives way to sulfate reduction, and microbes becomes both more diverse and more strictly anaerobic.
—New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2025
When the battery overheats, the water in the sulfuric acid solution within its case will boil and escape, leaving dry lead plates behind, which sulfate and lose their capacity.
—Randy Zellers, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for sulfate
Cite this Entry
“Sulfate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sulfate. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sulfate
2 of 2 transitive verb
variants
or chiefly British sulphate
sulfated or chiefly British sulphated; sulfating or chiefly British sulphating
: to treat or combine with sulfuric acid or a sulfate
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