as in to grease
to coat (something) with a slippery substance in order to reduce friction
used a petroleum based machine oil to lubricate the gears
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Recent Examples of lubricate
Politeness lubricates trust, not only in everyday chatting, but also in high-status contexts like executive dashboards or medical charting.
—
Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
Lube Keeping your chain (fairly) clean and (appropriately) lubricated will extend its life and prolong the life of the rest of your drivetrain.
—Chris Cona, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2025
And lubricants would simply evaporate before lubricating.
—New Atlas, 29 May 2025
The zipper pull should glide easily once lubricated.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lubricate
Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
Lube Keeping your chain (fairly) clean and (appropriately) lubricated will extend its life and prolong the life of the rest of your drivetrain.
—Chris Cona, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2025
And lubricants would simply evaporate before lubricating.
—New Atlas, 29 May 2025
The zipper pull should glide easily once lubricated.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lubricate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lubricate
Verb
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Tips For Making Aggression Cookies Fox's original recipe strictly specifies that there is no need to grease the baking sheet, and this recipe is the same.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
12 June 2025
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The job is demanding: wheels must be inspected and greased, accidents like a broken carriage tongue can delay the whole train and the horses need constant care.—
Tina Li,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Keep those tools clean, oiled, sharpened and most importantly under cover to ensure many years of use. 14.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 June 2025
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The light non-foaming cream is enriched with shea butter, plus monoi, avocado, and tamanu oils to nourish the strands while removing scalp buildup.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lubricate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lubricate. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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