desalinate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of desalinate
Explanation
To desalinate something is to remove all the salt from it. It's possible to desalinate ocean water in order to make it drinkable. Scientists have figured out how to desalinate seawater, making it much more useful to humans. Once you strip away the salt and other minerals that make it undrinkable, the water can be used for both drinking and irrigating crops, which can save the lives of people experiencing droughts. It's also sometimes necessary to desalinate soil so that plants can grow in it. Desalinate comes from de-, "undo," and saline, "made of salt."
Vocabulary lists containing desalinate
List 14
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 6
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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.
It can even desalinate water quickly, which means ocean water could potentially be used to fight a blaze like the Palisades fire in the future.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2025
"The big challenge is that you need a lot of energy to desalinate water and increase water production using zero liquid discharge," Dunn said.
From Science Daily • Nov. 18, 2024
The south Asian nation, now the most populous in the world, is among many countries that have built huge plants to desalinate sea water.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 20, 2023
There are currently two techniques used to desalinate seawater - thermal and membrane.
From BBC • Nov. 5, 2023
Plaquemines Parish officials also have plans to use reverse osmosis machines to desalinate drinking water there.
From New York Times • Oct. 6, 2022
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.
