chloride
Americannoun
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chlorides
plural
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a salt of hydrochloric acid consisting of two elements, one of which is chlorine, as sodium chloride, NaCl.
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a compound containing chlorine, as methyl chloride, CH 3 Cl.
noun
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any salt of hydrochloric acid, containing the chloride ion Cl –
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any compound containing a chlorine atom, such as methyl chloride (chloromethane), CH 3 Cl
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chloride
First recorded in 1805–15; chlor- 2 + -ide ( def. )
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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.
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Norfolk Southern advocated burning five tanker cars of vinyl chloride it said could explode, and the plan unfolded three days later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
"Salt particles -- specifically sodium chloride and potassium chloride -- are most often used" as cloud-seeding agents, said Adnan Yarmohammed, one of the Emirati officials in charge of sharing his country's experience.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
SCG Chemical’s earnings should be aided by improved spreads for high-density polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride, the analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Seawater is an especially tempting feedstock because it is abundant, but it brings a serious materials problem: salt, chloride ions, side reactions, and corrosion can quickly damage electrolyzer components.
From Science Daily ● May 10, 2026
“Question. In sodium chloride, which element has the negative charge?”
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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In related work published in Cell Reports Physical Science, the same group reported a method for directly combining these gases with acid chlorides to produce industrially important ketones in a single step.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2026
The health ministry is considering a request from the water utility to allow levels of sodium, chlorides, and other chemicals to remain above recommended levels.
From Science Magazine ● Aug. 17, 2023
Students reported smelling mysterious odors like tangerine and chlorides and were hospitalized after having difficulty breathing and experiencing heart palpitations, nausea and numbness in their limbs.
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2023
It is an important and versatile acid in industry and is important for the manufacture of metal chlorides, dyes, glue, glucose, and various other chemicals.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019
Tamman has also made a number of experiments with solutions of the chlorides and sulphates of the heavy metals, and solutions of phosphates, silicates, ferrocyanides, and other salts.
From The Mechanism of Life by Stéphane Leduc
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.