oxidizing

verb

present participle of oxidize
as in rusting
to combine chemically with oxygen Iron will oxidize if it is exposed to air and moisture.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oxidizing The material can power reactions such as oxidizing organic molecules, potentially degrading pollutants, sterilizing surfaces, or enabling photocatalytic chemistry to continue later in the dark. — New Atlas, 3 July 2026 But recent studies have shown that erosion can also emit CO2 by oxidizing organic carbon contained in eroding sediments. — Howard Lee, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026 The acid prevents cut apples from oxidizing and turning brown, while keeping sliced avocadoes or guacamole bright green. — Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2026 By capturing the oxygen, the coating prevents it from oxidizing the electrolyte and forming harmful byproducts. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Mar. 2026 Those flies themselves depend on sulfur-oxidizing microbes as their primary food source. — Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2025 What's more, the oxidizing process would simply start again, and the entire structure would turn green again in a few short years. — Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025 Today, the entire industrialized world is held up by the energy released by oxidizing organic carbon back to CO2. — Peter Brannen, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oxidizing
  1. rusting
  2. decomposing
  3. reacting
  4. disintegrating
  5. crumbling
  6. corroding
Verb
  • Whitehouse released a letter citing ex-project managers, internal emails and photos that depict rusting columns, a flawed reflecting pool and costly no-bid contracts, including an $8-million hall-floor overhaul.
    — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • In addition to the physical manifestation — the rusting fort jutting out of the water — Sealand will stay alive online, due in large part to the very idea of its founding.
    — Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 12 July 2026
Definition of rusting
Verb
  • In the mornings, our counselors still walk, slowly now, through the stench of bodies decomposing under the ruins of schools, mosques, and homes.
    — James Gordon, Time, 14 July 2026
  • The decomposing body of a woman was found in an alley in Chicago's Back of the Yards community this weekend.
    — Dylan Olsen, CBS News, 12 July 2026
Definition of decomposing
Verb
  • Mitochondria also play central roles in detecting and reacting to stress, and even in triggering cells to self-destruct if damage is deemed too great.
    — Rachel Nuwer, Quanta Magazine, 17 July 2026
  • These are not individuals fleeing instability or reacting to short-term events.
    — Shai Zamanian, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of reacting
Verb
  • Others rot in the California sun, disintegrating into bony fragments.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • The experiments have shown how a self-repair mechanism enables the spindle to stabilize itself under force and avoid disintegrating.
    — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 29 June 2026
Definition of disintegrating
Verb
  • They’re meant to be neat, self-contained, and easy to manage without dripping, crumbling, or requiring a balancing act at a cocktail table.
    — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 19 July 2026
  • Manchester, meanwhile, faced enormous challenges in its comeback, from high levels of poverty and unemployment to poor education and crumbling infrastructure.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Definition of crumbling
Verb
  • At these temperatures, the molten salt remains chemically stable but begin corroding the metal used to build the reactor vessel, posing a major safety risk.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
  • The company is accused of knowing that its sprinkler system was corroding and that emergency repairs to some sprinkler heads had been completed just days before the chemical reaction.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 23 June 2026
Definition of corroding

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Cite this Entry

“Oxidizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oxidizing. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of oxidizing for Spanish Speakers

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