acidify

American

[uh-sid-uh-fahy] / əˈsɪd əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with or without object)

acidified, acidifying

to make or become acid; convert into an acid.
to make or become sour.

acidify British

/ əˈsɪdɪˌfaɪ /

verb

to convert into or become acid

"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

Other Word Forms

acidifiable adjective
acidification noun
acidifier noun
reacidification noun
reacidify verb
semiacidified adjective

Etymology

Origin of acidify

First recorded in 1790–1800; acid + -ify

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.

Sulfides also acidify the water, which can accelerate weathering.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2024

Look to nursery shelves for products that will acidify the soil and blue your blooms.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 24, 2023

The first step uses electricity to temporarily acidify the water, which encourages the removal of CO2.

From Scientific American • Feb. 27, 2023

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 Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023