galvanize
Americanverb (used with object)
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galvanizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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galvanized,
past participle, past
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galvanizing
present participle
verb
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to stimulate to action; excite; startle
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to cover (iron, steel, etc) with a protective zinc coating by dipping into molten zinc or by electrodeposition
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to stimulate by application of an electric current
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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galvanizationnoun
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galvanizernoun
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regalvanizationnoun
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pregalvanizeverb (used with object)
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regalvanizeverb (used with object)
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nongalvanizedadjective
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ungalvanizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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galvanizesimple
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galvanizessimple
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have galvanizedperfect
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has galvanizedperfect
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am galvanizingprogressive
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are galvanizingprogressive
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is galvanizingprogressive
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have been galvanizingperfect progressive
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has been galvanizingperfect progressive
Past
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galvanizedsimple
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had galvanizedperfect
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was galvanizingprogressive
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were galvanizingprogressive
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had been galvanizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of galvanize
First recorded in 1795–1805; from French galvaniser, named after Luigi Galvani; see -ize
Explanation
The verb galvanize means to stimulate or incite someone into taking action. Your impassioned speech might galvanize the other members of the Ecology Club to start a school-wide recycling initiative. The word galvanize initially meant "to stimulate muscles by administering electric shocks." It was coined to honor the 18th-century scientist Luigi Galvani, who found that a spark could make a frog's legs move. This discovery of "animal electricity" inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, (a novel in which a mad scientist attempts to use electricity to galvanize a monster to life). Galvanize also means to cover steel or iron with zinc so it doesn’t rust.
Vocabulary lists containing galvanize
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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.
See Examples For:
It was also likely a means to galvanize himself against how that experience alerted him to the omnipresent nearness of death.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
"We hope that this study will galvanize efforts to have yeast on board in future space explorations."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 8, 2026
César Caballero, director of the Colombian pollster Cifras y Conceptos, said Petro sees an opportunity to galvanize support ahead of next May’s presidential elections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
“Fear is a powerful motivator, and today we’re seeing how fear can galvanize people into making decisions for their own self-protection,” Brown says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2025
“Kudirat’s death will not be in vain, it will only galvanize the democratic movement in a way that even her life did not! I just wrote an article about this issue online in Nigerian Village.”
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
It just sort of galvanizes and I'm seeing all of that now.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2025
Set in the tumultuous period post-9/11, “American Idiot” galvanizes the youthful spirit of rebellion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2024
These dynamics are very different from other evolutionary systems where inter-group conflict galvanizes cooperative responses -- the nested and sequential nature of the evolution of natural resource governance systems causes the difference.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2024
Such evidence of depravity typically galvanizes global action and demands for justice.
From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2023
Seeing the paper chain in danger galvanizes them into action.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
In all those incidents, bearing witness galvanized the public.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
The Liuzzo family was harassed for their mother’s activism even after her death, but the event galvanized activists all over the country, becoming one impetus for Congress to finally pass the landmark 1965 legislation.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
NEW DELHI—The leaders of India’s “Cockroach” protests said their supporters wouldn’t retreat even after an activist who galvanized the large-scale demonstrations ended a hunger strike on Friday after winning concessions from the government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
"In the winter time, when the weather's bad, that's kind of when we thrive... We're open 365 days a year," said Matuszewski, who described how the World Cup had galvanized interest in soccer.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Union leaders John Fitzpatrick and William Z. Foster were galvanized by the golden opportunity for a big union win if they could just bring all the workers together before the bosses divided them.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Perhaps, someday in the future, the spirit of 2020 will be revived with a new galvanizing philosophy: Most of our fellow citizens might actually be good people.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Grassroots efforts at the municipal level have been far more effective in galvanizing resistance to the creation of new immigration prisons.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
She said the peaceful demonstrations since the start of the sprawling immigration raids were a strength of the movement galvanizing against the raids.
From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026
According to Ms. Weinman, the trial had a galvanizing effect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
“I should tell her I’ve arrived,” Pet said, and Jam jumped up, a current of alarm galvanizing her.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
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.
