galvanize

[ gal-vuh-nahyz ]

/ ˈgæl vəˌnaɪz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR galvanize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), gal·va·nized, gal·va·niz·ing.

to stimulate by or as if by a galvanic current.

Medicine/Medical. to stimulate or treat (muscles or nerves) with induced direct current (distinguished from faradize).

to startle into sudden activity; stimulate.

to coat (metal, especially iron or steel) with zinc.

Nearby words

Also especially British, gal·va·nise.

Origin of galvanize

1795–1805; < French galvaniser, named after Luigi Galvani; see -ize

SYNONYMS FOR galvanize

3. rouse, stir, electrify, fire, spur, animate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR galvanize ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

gal·va·ni·za·tion, noungal·va·niz·er, nounnon·gal·va·nized, adjectivepre·gal·va·nize, verb (used with object), pre·gal·va·nized, pre·gal·va·niz·ing.

re·gal·va·ni·za·tion, nounre·gal·va·nize, verb (used with object), re·gal·va·nized, re·gal·va·niz·ing.un·gal·va·nized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for galvanize

The book is a manifesto—a single-handed attempt to galvanize the world to take to the streets.
Naomi Klein’s ‘This Changes Everything’ Will Change Nothing|Michael Signer|November 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Do you think the film will galvanize enough interest to re-open the search for Yaser?
The Dishonor of Honor Killings|Sara Stewart|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The current firestorm should galvanize critics of education reform, but not in the way they think.
De Blasio Misread His Mandate, Now Some of His Own Supporters are Fighting Back Over Charter School Cuts|Conor P. Williams|March 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But in this bitter race, the saga surely helped Schweikert galvanize his base, which will be critical to winning the primary.
Ben Quayle’s Election Fight Gets Ugly|Terry Greene Sterling|August 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

So I would not doubt that yesterday's decision will galvanize conservative voters.
Seven More Thoughts on the Decision|Michael Tomasky|June 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Love is the only impulse which could galvanize him into life.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 16|Various
We shall see further on what persistent but abortive efforts were made in Congress once more to galvanize it into life.
Abraham Lincoln, A History, Volume 2|John George Nicolay and John Hay
Of what use then, to try to galvanize the dead past into the semblance of vitality?
The Girl of the Period and Other Social Essays, Vol. II (of 2)|Eliza Lynn Linton
Teachers kill the natural interest, and then try to galvanize its dead body into temporary activity.
Dickens As an Educator|James L. (James Laughlin) Hughes
To sap the will, to galvanize the mind as from a German electric battery, palsied resistance to aggressive Germania.
Villa Elsa|Stuart Henry

British Dictionary definitions for galvanize

galvanize

galvanise

/ (ˈɡælvəˌnaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to stimulate to action; excite; startle

to cover (iron, steel, etc) with a protective zinc coating by dipping into molten zinc or by electrodeposition

to stimulate by application of an electric current

noun

Caribbean galvanized iron, usually in the form of corrugated sheets as used in roofing

Derived Formsgalvanization or galvanisation, noungalvanizer or galvaniser, noun

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

Word Origin and History for galvanize

galvanize

1802, from French galvaniser, from galvanisme (see galvanism). Figurative sense of "excite, stimulate (as if by electricity)" first recorded 1853. Meaning "to coat with metal by means of galvanic electricity" (especially to plate iron with tin, but now typically to plate it with zinc) is from 1839.

He'll swear that in her dancing she cuts all others out,
Though like a Gal that's galvanized, she throws her legs about.
[Thomas Hood, "Love has not Eyes," 1845]

Related: Galvanized; galvanizing.