hydrate

American  

[hahy-drayt] / ˈhaɪ dreɪt /

noun

• hydrates
  plural

1. any of a class of compounds containing chemically combined water. In the case of some hydrates, as washing soda, Na 2 CO 3 ⋅10H 2 O, the water is loosely held and is easily lost on heating; in others, as sulfuric acid, SO 3 ⋅H 2 O, or H 2 SO 4 , it is strongly held as water of constitution.

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verb (used with or without object)

• hydrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hydrated,
  past participle,  past
• hydrating
  present participle

1. to combine chemically with water.

hydrate British  

/ ˈhaɪdreɪt /

noun

1. a chemical compound containing water that is chemically combined with a substance and can usually be expelled without changing the constitution of the substance

2. a chemical compound that can dissociate reversibly into water and another compound. For example sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) dissociates into sulphur trioxide (SO 3 ) and water (H 2 O)

3. (not in technical usage) a chemical compound, such as a carbohydrate, that contains hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the ratio two to one

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verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo treatment or impregnation with water

hydrate Scientific  

/ hī′drāt′ /

1. A compound produced by combining a substance chemically with water. Many minerals and crystalline substances are hydrates.

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1. To combine a compound with water, especially to form a hydrate.

2. To supply water to a person in order to restore or maintain a balance of fluids.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hydration
  noun
• hydrator
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hydrates
  plural

Participles

• hydrating
  present
• hydrated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hydrate
  simple
• hydrates
  simple
• have hydrated
  perfect
• has hydrated
  perfect
• am hydrating
  progressive
• are hydrating
  progressive
• is hydrating
  progressive
• have been hydrating
  perfect progressive
• has been hydrating
  perfect progressive

Past

• hydrated
  simple
• had hydrated
  perfect
• was hydrating
  progressive
• were hydrating
  progressive
• had been hydrating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hydrate
  simple
• will have hydrated
  perfect
• will be hydrating
  progressive
• will have been hydrating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of hydrate

First recorded in 1795–1805; hydr- ¹ + -ate ²

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Explanation

To hydrate is to add or absorb water. It's hot outside — don't forget to hydrate by drinking plenty of water! If you want to sound fancy, you can use the word hydrate every time you get a drink of water. Along with most organisms, we need to hydrate, or ingest water, to stay alive. This verb is also commonly used to mean "moisturize," as in "this magic cream will hydrate your skin like you won't believe!" As a noun, hydrate refers to a chemical compound that includes water molecules. A French chemist coined the noun in 1800 from the Greek hydor, "water."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hydrate hydrates hydrated hydrating

By the third inning, the children were taking a break from the heat, sipping on water, juice and soda to hydrate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

"You still do the cuticle, you do the soaking and hydrate everything," says Buddemeier, "but you just put no polish on."

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

He has to constantly hydrate, so he places big cups of water on both sides of the stage with straws, but sometimes the crew and other actors help him pick up the cup.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Despite those conditions, the sodium vanadate hydrate continued to work effectively.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

I wondered if it was wise to work up a sweat playing soccer/non-American football if you couldn’t hydrate after.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Methanol helps prevent freezing and the accumulation of solid hydrates that can plug gas-compression equipment and limit pipeline flow, and it acts as a solvent and corrosion inhibitor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

The bottom line is water is essential, hydrates us and has countless other health benefits.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2024

The challenge now is making sure everyone hydrates well to recover as quickly as possible.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 29, 2023

However, these studies mainly focused on areas where only a small portion of global methane hydrates are located.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 6, 2023

I understand that, in modern chemistry, the acids and alkalies are the two extremes of a class of substances called hydrates, the only difference being the radical.

From Scientific American, Vol. XXXVII.?No. 2. [New Series.], July 14, 1877 A Weekly Journal Of Practical Information, Art, Science, Mechanics, Chemistry, And Manufactures by Various

Rain watered crops, and soaked in to recharge the groundwater that hydrated the city — something that can’t happen now, when something like 40% of the city is covered over, impermeable to rain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Madison and Wall did the same just yesterday, calling out factors including AI; the longer, more-watched and better hydrated World Cup; and consumer spending among the higher-income leg of the K-shaped economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

For most of us, that will keep us well hydrated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

"We assume it's some form of hydrated rock from the moons as well, but there's still a lot of mystery."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

On one website, we find a list of supplies every dog walker should own: a spare leash, lots of baggies, and a reusable water bottle and plastic bowl to keep the dogs hydrated.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

After the analysis, she was able to pick from care packages, each with a different purpose, such as slowing aging, hydrating the skin, clarifying it or brightening it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Dietitian Kate Hilton says she's drinking more iced water and eating cool, hydrating foods like cucumber, tomatoes, melon and frozen smoothies.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

The fruit is also made up of about 92% water, making it a hydrating option during hot weather or after exercise.

From Science Daily ● May 17, 2026

Protein loading, for example, can damage kidneys if you aren’t checking levels or hydrating well enough, says Talib.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

I wash once a week with a silicone-free hydrating shampoo.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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