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

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

Each half of the game features a “hydration break” created to hydrate the allegedly parched athletes and add a few more Michelob Ultra advertisements to the telecast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

“This is the world’s game ... we have to figure out how to help players at all levels and ages to have the ability to thermoregulate, hydrate, how to do it well.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

We were always required to hydrate after being outside, especially in the summer.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

The world’s endowment of hydrocarbons is all but limitless, including unimaginable quantities of methane hydrates, not to mention that hydrocarbons can also be grown agriculturally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

Water, the main ingredient in most sports drinks, hydrates you.

From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025

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

From Washington Times ● Dec. 29, 2023

Developed by scientists at the University of Leeds, the saliva substitute is described as comparable to natural saliva in the way it hydrates the mouth and acts as a lubricant when food is chewed.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2023

It tends to form gelatinous hydrates with water, and has a composition corresponding to the formula C6H10O6.

From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Franklin Beech

This could be getting a good night sleep, staying hydrated or having time off your phone.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

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

Then he and his wife, whose name is Margaret Ann, wrap them in a refrigerated shipping bucket, which will keep the flowers hydrated.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

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

Chen fitted me with what looked like an enormous diving mask that quickly filled with cool, hydrating mist — I felt droplets of water dripping from my eyes and down my cheeks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026

That brief chill allows the fat to firm and the panade to finish its quiet work, hydrating and binding.

From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026

Be sure to moisturize with an ultra- hydrating serum like The Corporation’s new Skin So Right B14 Complex for Total Cell Renewal, made with essential vitamins, minerals, and concentrated yak’s bladder.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

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