metabolize

American  

[muh-tab-uh-lahyz] / məˈtæb əˌlaɪz /

especially British, metabolise

verb (used with or without object)

metabolized, metabolizing

1. to subject to metabolism; change by metabolism.

---

metabolize British  

/ mɪˈtæbəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to bring about or subject to metabolism

---

metabolize Scientific  

/ mĭ-tăb′ə-līz′ /

1. To subject a substance to metabolism or produce a substance by metabolism.

---

Other Word Forms

• metabolizability noun
• metabolizable adjective
• metabolizer noun
• unmetabolized adjective

Etymology

Origin of metabolize

First recorded in 1885–90; metabol(ism) + -ize

Explanation

When bodies process various substances, you can say they metabolize them. For example, when your body takes in calories, it metabolizes them, putting them to good use. This verb, a back-formation from metabolism, is pretty much the sine qua non — or essential element — of being alive: it's everyone's 24/7 occupation. The Greek root, metabole, only means "a change," which is the one thing that's inescapable while we go about in this mortal coil.

Example Sentences

Movies, for better or worse, are among the few remaining ways for Americans to encounter, metabolize, and wrestle with big moral issues at scale.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

At the basic cellular level, we are beings that metabolize energy, reproduce offspring and pursue survival.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Microorganisms drive nearly every step of these processes, using substances like sulfur and iron for respiration in much the same way humans rely on oxygen to metabolize food.

From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2025

Side effects could be more severe for older adults, who metabolize medicine differently than younger people.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 4, 2025

My appetite vanished and my digestive system, which required abundant oxygen to metabolize food, failed to make use of much of what I forced myself to eat; instead my body began consuming itself for sustenance.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer