purify

verb

ˈpyu̇r-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce purify (audio)
Definition of purifynext
1
as in to purge
to free from moral guilt or blemish especially ceremonially Catholics go to confession to be purified

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to filter
to remove usually visible impurities from purify the water by distillation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 purify The amount may be infinitesimal—white sugar and bottled water are sometimes purified with charred animal bones, for instance—but some hypersensitive alpha-gal patients avoid the risk anyway. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 The company could use an electric smelter to melt and purify the iron before feeding it into Gary’s existing oxygen furnaces or into the kind of electric arc furnace already built in Arkansas. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026 In terms of drinks, colonists didn't have ways to purify their water, so people drank small beer or weak wine, Miller said. — Ava Berger, NPR, 28 June 2026 But that doesn’t matter because that’s been purified. — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for purify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purify
  1. purge
  2. filter
  3. clarify
  4. refine
  5. extract
  6. clean
Verb
  • Xi has purged or expelled most of the seven-member Central Military Commission, leaving just him and one other member.
    — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Even when Putin purged Russia’s defense ministry for corruption, including much of Shoigu’s own personal network, Putin transferred Shoigu to a weighty role in the Security Council rather than disempower him.
    — Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of purge
Verb
  • Inuspheresis—colloquially known as blood washing—is the newest therapy available at Lanserhof Tegernsee, selected for its ability to filter a wide range of unwanted substances from your plasma.
    — Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2026
  • These include tenocytes [the primary component of tendons]; the cells that wrap around blood vessels and stabilize the circulatory system; the smooth muscle cells of the colon; and kidney epithelial cells, which filter toxins from the blood.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of filter
Verb
  • Open Doors helped clarify a lot of things, so the next step is to sit with that and push the project into a solid draft.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026
  • District leaders used them to rethink instruction, align classroom practice with system supports, build capacity among school supervisors and principals, and clarify what students should know and be able to do.
    — Michael Casserly, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of clarify
Verb
  • No one is as refined as the Ohio State star, but Coleman’s potential as a 6-foot-3, 210-pound, do-everything game-wrecker is tantalizing.
    — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Diehl calls it one of the oldest tricks in styling, the pairing of something refined against something plain.
    — Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of refine
Verb
  • However, measures in place to limit the spread, such as regular handwashing and social distancing, are not followed at the artisanal mining sites, where work to extract gold is done by workers using basic hand tools like shovels and pans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Hoffman was born in Brooklyn, one of 10 children in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, and raised in Montreal after her Canadian mother extracted the family.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of extract
Verb
  • The Waterless Duo is an easy way to clean and condition your pet’s coat without water featuring the Dog Days Dry Shampoo and Leave in Detangler.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The only thing better than a cozy fireplace is one that doesn’t need, soot, wood, or chimney cleaning.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of clean

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purifies
purify
purifying
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Cite this Entry

“Purify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purify. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of purify for Spanish Speakers

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