galvanize
Americanverb (used with object)
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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ungalvanizedadjective
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nongalvanizedadjective
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pregalvanizeverb (used with object)
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galvanizernoun
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regalvanizationnoun
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galvanizationnoun
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regalvanizeverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has galvanizedperfect 3rd person singular
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have galvanizedperfect
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am galvanizingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been galvanizingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been galvanizingperfect progressive
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are galvanizingprogressive
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galvanizingparticiple
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is galvanizingprogressive 3rd person singular
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galvanizessingular 3rd person
Past
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had galvanizedperfect
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had been galvanizingperfect progressive
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galvanizedsimple
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galvanizedparticiple
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were galvanizingprogressive plural
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was galvanizingprogressive singular
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
This Week in Words: September 15 - 21, 2018
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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This Week in Words: March 10 - 16, 2018
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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.
“Loved sitting down to talk the future of energy with Tom Steyer at the Galvanize Solutions Summit,” Poppe wrote on LinkedIn in December.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
About the author: is chief investment officer of Galvanize Global Equities.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
“If you don’t do this, you’re a dope,” said Steyer, co-chair of the Galvanize Climate Solutions investment firm.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 8, 2023
Conrad Cutler is the chief executive of Galvanize Group, a company that collects cans and bottles to return them to distributors.
From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2019
“I like the ageless nature of his voice,” says Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers, who worked with him on the hits Galvanize and Go.
From The Guardian • Nov. 17, 2016
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.
