Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

hydration

American  
[hahy-dray-shuhn] / haɪˈdreɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the act or process of supplying water to oneself, another person, or a part of the body.

  2. the act or process of chemically hydrating something.


Explanation

Hydration is what happens when something absorbs water. If your favorite plant is brown and droopy, it may need hydration — or it may be time to buy a new plant! Hydration comes from the verb hydrate, which was originally defined as "form a hydrate" (a chemical compound that includes water), but eventually came to also mean "to restore moisture." Whenever you moisten or add water to something, including drinking a nice big cold glass of water when you're thirsty, that's hydration.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing hydration

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:

Austin arrives inside the stadium by the game’s first hydration break, scanning the VIP lounge for a Coca-Cola.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 18, 2026

Plus plenty of punditry, whether on a Brooklyn balcony or in a Salford studio, glamorous celebrities, hydration break controversies and online watch parties with the likes of IShowSpeed.

From BBC Jul. 17, 2026

It means hydration break ads could net $250m in the US alone, prompting speculation that they will be here to stay.

From BBC Jul. 16, 2026

Friday and told employees she was missing, said she had a hydration pack with about a gallon of water, according to Carrie Buelna of nonprofit Friends of El Mirage, who works at the visitors center.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 14, 2026

Inside, there are two sets of her lightest nylon track clothes, her Camel hydration pack, her handheld water bottle, and her thin rain jacket.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training