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magnetize

[ mag-ni-tahyz ]
/ ˈmæg nɪˌtaɪz /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR magnetize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), mag·net·ized, mag·net·iz·ing.

to make a magnet of or impart the properties of a magnet to.
to exert an attracting or compelling influence upon: The evangelist's oratory magnetized his listeners.
Archaic. to mesmerize.

RELATED WORDS

draw, fascinate, influence, allure, charm, entice, attract

Nearby words

  1. magnetics,
  2. magnetism,
  3. magnetite,
  4. magnetizable,
  5. magnetization,
  6. magnetizing force,
  7. magneto,
  8. magneto-,
  9. magneto-electric,
  10. magnetoacoustics
Also especially British, mag·ne·tise.

Origin of magnetize

First recorded in 1775–85; magnet + -ize
Related formsmag·net·iz·er, nounnon·mag·net·ized, adjectivere·mag·net·ize, verb (used with object), re·mag·net·ized, re·mag·net·iz·ing.un·mag·net·ized, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for magnetize

British Dictionary definitions for magnetize

magnetize

magnetise

/ (ˈmæɡnɪˌtaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to make (a substance or object) magnetic
to attract strongly
an obsolete word for mesmerize
Derived Formsmagnetizable or magnetisable, adjectivemagnetization or magnetisation, nounmagnetizer or magnetiser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for magnetize

magnetize

v.

1799, from magnet + -ize. Related: Magnetized; magnetizing. From 1785 in now-obsolete sense of "to mesmerize."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for magnetize

magnetize

[ măg′nĭ-tīz′ ]

To cause an object to become temporarily or permanently magnetic. For example, an unmagnetized object made of ferromagnetic material consists of molecules that are magnetic but randomly aligned, producing no net magnetic field; exposure to a magnetic field causes the molecules to align themselves with the field, producing their own net field, so that the object as a whole becomes magnetized.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.