magnetize

American  

[mag-ni-tahyz] / ˈmæg nɪˌtaɪz /

especially British, magnetise

verb (used with object)

magnetized, magnetizing

1. to make a magnet of or impart the properties of a magnet to.

2. to exert an attracting or compelling influence upon.

   The evangelist's oratory magnetized his listeners.

3. Archaic. to mesmerize.

---

magnetize British  

/ ˈmæɡnɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to make (a substance or object) magnetic

2. to attract strongly

3. an obsolete word for mesmerize

---

magnetize Scientific  

/ măg′nĭ-tīz′ /

1. 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.

---

Other Word Forms

• magnetizable adjective
• magnetization noun
• magnetizer noun
• nonmagnetized adjective
• remagnetize verb (used with object)
• unmagnetized adjective

Etymology

Origin of magnetize

First recorded in 1775–85; magnet + -ize

Example Sentences

“I learned to temper my thoughts, embrace gratefulness, give myself grace, pour into myself to be available for others and magnetize the positive into manifested results,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2024

To magnetize an iron nail, one simply has to stroke its surface several times with a bar magnet.

From Science Daily • Dec. 7, 2023

Whether any of their creations transcend gee-whizzery and prove powerful enough to magnetize deeper meanings to it will become clearer with time.

From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2023

In a ferromagnet such as iron, all the atoms act like little magnets and they all point in the same direction to magnetize the entire material.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 30, 2020

“If I rub the needle with the lodestone, I’ll magnetize it. Basically I’ll turn it into a compass needle. If we can get it to float on the water without breaking the surface tension...”

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins