verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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acidificationnoun
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acidifiernoun
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reacidificationnoun
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reacidifyverb
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acidifiableadjective
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semiacidifiedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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acidifysimple
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acidifiessimple
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have acidifiedperfect
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has acidifiedperfect
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am acidifyingprogressive
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are acidifyingprogressive
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is acidifyingprogressive
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have been acidifyingperfect progressive
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has been acidifyingperfect progressive
Past
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acidifiedsimple
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had acidifiedperfect
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was acidifyingprogressive
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were acidifyingprogressive
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had been acidifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of acidify
Explanation
To acidify something is to chemically turn it into an acid or make it more acidic. Farmers often acidify soil by adding fertilizer to it. When you acidify something, you increase its acid content or make it more sour. Too much carbon dioxide dissolving into oceans acidifies them, one of the many negative effects of global warming. When it comes to food, you're most likely to acidify a dish by adding citrus fruits, like lemons, which taste sour. The root word of the verb acidify is the Latin acidus, which means "sour or sharp."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sulfides also acidify the water, which can accelerate weathering.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2024
The first step uses electricity to temporarily acidify the water, which encourages the removal of CO2.
From Scientific American ● Feb. 27, 2023
But other scientists say even those could acidify because their outflow will slow as atmospheric concentrations surge.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2022
Together with one of her Ph.D. supervisors, JCU marine biologist Philip Munday, Dixson pioneered research into the effects on fish of rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, which cause the oceans to acidify.
From Science Magazine ● Aug. 9, 2022
Evaporate to a thin syrup, acidify strongly with phosphoric acid.
From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by J. W. H. (John William Henry) Eyre
Unfortunately, as CO2 emissions increase, it acidifies the ocean, which can make it less hospitable for life.
From Salon ● May 21, 2025
Too much nitrogen acidifies the ground, which reduces the amount of nutrients for plants and trees.
From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2023
Kungfu Kitchen does Shanghai soup dumplings, too, paired with a black-vinegar-and-syrup dipping sauce, which fortifies and acidifies the delicate broth that explodes from the dough walls on the first bite.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2021
As often is the case in Peele’s work, comedy underlines the unease and acidifies into social critique, as when the nervous flyer approaches a couple of turbaned fellows who have not stowed their electronic devices.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 29, 2019
The way lignin acidifies and destroys paper was only really identified in the 1930s, so there are plenty of old watercolours you can get rid of.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 23, 2013
The seaweed grown in acidified water actually grew more, photosynthesized more effectively, and showed no significant increase in drag.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2023
Low oxygen levels, in addition to harming sea life, can disrupt food webs and even make marine water more acidified.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
If nearby ski areas have to rely on more intensely mineralized and acidified water to make artificial snow, that could compound the problem, McKnight adds.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 4, 2021
PEA is known to warn mammals and sea creatures of predators and its effectiveness may be increased in an acidified ocean, researchers said.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2021
After the greater portion of the alcohol has distilled off, the solution is acidified with sulphuric acid and the azoimide distilled over.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1 "Austria, Lower" to "Bacon" by Various
Few countries are more exposed to climate change than Tuvalu, a chain of coral atolls reckoning with acidifying oceans, tropical disease and rising seas.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
In the face of warming, acidifying oceans, coral skeletons are at risk of dissolving.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2024
It's well established that rising global temperatures, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, are making dramatic changes to our oceans, from increasing sea levels and intensifying storms to acidifying the water itself.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2023
Yes, in “Blue Skies” the planet’s shine appears to be dimming — its resources depleted, its heat-trapping gases turning forests to dust and acidifying the oceans.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2023
It is generally best to administer the acidifying agent before the application of the lime, since this raises the acidity and permits a larger amount of the lime to be used.
From The Philippine Agricultural Review Vol. VIII, First Quarter, 1915 No. 1 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
