granulate

American  

[gran-yuh-leyt] / ˈgræn jəˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

granulated, granulating

1. to form into granules or grains.

2. to raise in granules; make rough on the surface.

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verb (used without object)

granulated, granulating

1. to become granular or grainy.

2. Pathology. to form granulation tissue.

granulate British  

/ ˈɡrænjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to make into grains

2. to make or become roughened in surface texture

3. (intr) (of a wound, ulcer, etc) to form granulation tissue

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Other Word Forms

• granulater
  noun
• granulator
  noun
• granulative
  adjective
• multigranulated
  adjective
• nongranulated
  adjective
• ungranulated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of granulate

First recorded in 1660–70; granule + -ate ¹

Explanation

Granulate means to form or reduce into grains. You've probably seen the word on a box of granulated sugar and not thought twice about the fact that, besides its granular form, sugar exists as a liquid and also inside sugar cane. Sugar, of course, is not a grain. A grain is rice, wheat, quinoa, corn––seeds that form the basis of most people's diets. Sugar forms grains when it's refined, appearing in its crystallized form to have a grain-like, or granulated, appearance.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

granulate granulated granulating

Meanwhile, Enviroo recently secured £58m to build a new recycling facility in the north-west of England, specialising in converting PET drink bottles into a recycled granulate that can be used in food packaging.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025

And if honey does granulate it is still perfectly fine to eat.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2023

For well owners receiving Army assistance, the long-term plans for the taxpayer-financed cleanup range from installing granulate activated filtration systems to drilling deeper wells that could tap into PFAS-free water.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2022

For the A3, 45 bottles are used, ground up to create a granulate that is turned into a polyester yarn, accounting for 89 percent of the seat material.

From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2021

But this substance taken alone is very difficult to mould or granulate, and the loss of expensive solvents must necessarily be quite considerable.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 821, September 26, 1891 by Various

The company, Irvine-based Ventura Foods, recalled 3,556 cases of the dressing that could be contaminated by “black plastic planting material” in the granulated onion used, according to an alert issued by the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025

Most bakers reach for powdered sugar, but I’ll admit: I like the slight texture of granulated sugar.

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2025

Surprisingly, sugar -- the white, granulated kind found in nearly every household -- served as an inexpensive, convenient source of carbon atoms.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024

Feed in the granulated sugar very slowly so as to get a completely smooth, clear light mixture.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 24, 2023

One oonful of this is more economical and far more sweetening than two of ordinary granulated Sugar.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

The separate muscular layers were sharply defined in the lateral parts of the floor of the wound, and remained so for some time during the gradual contraction of the large granulating surface produced.

From Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre by George Henry Makins

The Bureau having adopted a new system of granulating Navy powder, the different classes will in future be known and designated as Rifle, Cannon, and Musket.

From Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition. by United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance

To prevent Syrups from granulating, add a small teaspoon of cream of tartar to each twelve and a half pounds of Sugar.

From Frye's Practical Candy Maker Comprising Practical Receipts for the Manufacture of Fine "Hand-Made" Candies by George V. Frye

It is then taken to the granulating room, where it is first passed through sieves or perforations, which break up the mass into little pieces like shot.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

Some one may have a particular predilection for granulating wounds and mucous membranes, and thereby produce a diphtheritic inflammation.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various