sodium hydroxide

noun

: a white brittle solid NaOH that is a strong caustic base used especially in making soap, rayon, and paper

Examples of sodium hydroxide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

White liquor, which is used to break down wood into paper pulp, is made up of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate, authorities said. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 11 June 2026

Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / Getty Images The tank was designed to hold 900,000 gallons of a hazardous chemical known as white liquor, a chemical brew that contains sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate and is used in the paper-pulping process, officials have said. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 31 May 2026

The natural oils are then mixed with either potassium hydroxide to create a liquid soap or sodium hydroxide to create a solid soap. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 31 May 2026

White liquor, which is made mostly of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide, is used with heat to break down wood to make kraft paper, a durable material used in packaging, shopping bags and other products. —Claire Rush, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sodium hydroxide

• monoxide
• tetroxide

Kids Definition

sodium hydroxide

noun

: a white brittle solid that is strongly alkaline and is used especially in making soap, rayon, and paper

Medical Definition

sodium hydroxide

noun

: a white brittle deliquescent solid NaOH that dissolves readily in water to form a strongly alkaline and caustic solution and that is used in pharmacy as an alkalizing agent

called also caustic soda