detoxification

American  

[dee-tok-suh-fi-key-shuhn] / diˌtɒk sə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

Sometimes detoxication

noun

1. Biochemistry. the metabolic process by which toxins are changed into less toxic or more readily excretable substances.

2. the act of detoxifying.

3. the state of being detoxified.

4. detox.

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Etymology

Origin of detoxification

First recorded in 1900–05; detoxi(cate) + -fication

Example Sentences

Fungi without these genes were much less successful at infecting bark beetles, showing that the detoxification process is critical for overcoming the beetles' chemical defenses.

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026

So when a DIY soil detoxification workshop came up at a local nursery, she jumped on it.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2025

Nobody knows how people first cracked the problem, but ancient Amazonians devised a complex, multistep process of detoxification that transforms cassava from inedible to delicious.

From Salon • May 6, 2024

But in a kambo ceremony, humans use it to trigger an intense so-called detoxification process.

From BBC • May 10, 2023

The detoxification is accomplished by one of the enzymes of the liver.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson