chlorinate

[ klawr-uh-neyt, klohr- ]

verb (used with object),chlo·ri·nat·ed, chlo·ri·nat·ing.
  1. Chemistry.

    • to combine or treat with chlorine.

    • to introduce chlorine atoms into an organic compound by an addition or substitution reaction.

  2. to disinfect (water) by means of chlorine.

  1. Metallurgy. to treat (a gold ore) with chlorine gas in order that the gold may be removed as a soluble chloride.

Origin of chlorinate

1
First recorded in 1855–60; chlorine + -ate1

Other words from chlorinate

  • chlo·ri·na·tion, noun
  • chlo·ri·na·tor, noun
  • hy·per·chlo·ri·na·tion, noun
  • post·chlo·ri·na·tion, adjective
  • un·chlo·ri·nat·ed, adjective

Words Nearby chlorinate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chlorinate in a sentence

  • The first step is to chlorinate ordinary toluol, one of the coal tar bases, to produce benzyl chloride.

British Dictionary definitions for chlorinate

chlorinate

/ (ˈklɔːrɪˌneɪt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to combine or treat (a substance) with chlorine

  2. to disinfect (water) with chlorine

Derived forms of chlorinate

  • chlorination, noun
  • chlorinator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for chlorinate

chlorinate

[ klôrə-nāt′ ]


  1. To add chlorine or one of its compounds to a substance. Water and sewage are chlorinated to be disinfected, and paper pulp is chlorinated to be bleached.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.