tranquilize

verb tran·quil·ize \ ˈtraŋ-kwə-ˌlīz , ˈtran- \

variants: or less commonly tranquillize

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: tranquilize in a Sentence

Definition of tranquilize

tranquilized also tranquillized; tranquilizing also tranquillizing

transitive verb

: to make tranquil or calm : pacify; especially : to relieve of mental tension and anxiety by means of drugs

intransitive verb

1 : to become tranquil : relax 1

2 : to make one tranquil

See tranquilize defined for English-language learners

See tranquilize defined for kids

Examples of tranquilize in a Sentence

They tranquilized the bear with a dart so that it could be safely moved to a different area.
at long last the crying baby was tranquilized by the steady rocking of her cradle

Recent Examples of tranquilize from the Web

Police eventually closed several blocks as state biologists located and tranquilized the bear in Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery.

— tegan hanlon, Anchorage Daily News, "On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, an elusive cinnamon-colored black bear sprinted through downtown Anchorage," 13 June 2018
As was the jokey-but-maybe-real Announcement of Skyrim: Very Special Edition for the Alexa. Biggest Missed Opportunity: Andrew WK, whose presence seemed to confuse and even tranquilize the crowd.

— julie muncy, WIRED, "The Biggest Surprises (and Missed Opportunities) of the E3 Press Conferences," 12 June 2018
Arizona Game and Fish sent out a team to tranquilize, remove and relocate that bear.

— robert gundran, azcentral, "Arizona Game and Fish: Expect more bear sightings in residential areas," 31 May 2018
The wild scene, which attracted dozens of onlookers, ended when police tranquilized the animal.

— shane dixon kavanaugh, OregonLive.com, "Bear's late-night stroll through Gresham ends with police bullets, reports say," 25 May 2018
If Vance’s memoir offered street-heroin-grade drama, Westover’s is carfentanil, the stuff that tranquilizes elephants.

— alec macgillis, New York Times, "She Didn’t Own a Birth Certificate or Go to School. Yet She Went On to Earn a Ph.D.," 1 Mar. 2018
They were tranquilized and recaptured, news outlets reported.

— new york times, BostonGlobe.com, "Zoo escape grips Germany," 1 June 2018
Schools along La Cañada’s Foothill Boulevard were on alert Thursday after learning a young bear was prowling among houses on Daleridge Road, but tensions eased after the animal hunkered down in a tree and was later tranquilized and relocated.

— sara cardine, latimes.com, "Bear scare near Foothill Boulevard puts area schools on high alert," 1 June 2018
Staff from the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection worked to tranquilize the bear, said Jason Hawley, a DEEP wildlife biologist.

— mikaela porter, courant.com, "Injured Bear Found Under West Hartford Shed Tranquilized, Released," 7 May 2018

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