moisturize
Americanverb (used with object)
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moisturizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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moisturized,
past participle, past
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moisturizing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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moisturizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
moisturized,
past participle, past
-
moisturizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
moisturizesimple
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moisturizessimple
-
have moisturizedperfect
-
has moisturizedperfect
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am moisturizingprogressive
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are moisturizingprogressive
-
is moisturizingprogressive
-
have been moisturizingperfect progressive
-
has been moisturizingperfect progressive
Past
-
moisturizedsimple
-
had moisturizedperfect
-
was moisturizingprogressive
-
were moisturizingprogressive
-
had been moisturizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of moisturize
Explanation
To moisturize is to add moisture to something or make it less dry. The purpose of hand lotion is to moisturize your dry hands. Moisturize is most often used to talk about beauty products, like lotions and moisturizers. If your skin's dry, oil or cream will bring some moisture and softness back to it. And, if your hair is brittle, conditioner will moisturize it and make it smoother. A diet with plenty of healthful fat can help moisturize your hair and skin too. Moisturize adds -ize, a verb-forming suffix, to moisture, from the Old French moistour, "dampness."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After 40 minutes of the technician repeatedly dragging a warm and gooey wand across my chest, I had 95 images—and enough gel on my skin to moisturize a lizard for a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Being African American, something happens when you don’t moisturize your skin.
From New York Times ● Jun. 24, 2023
Wash, tone, moisturize, mask or gua sha with some rose-infused face oil while you’re Netflix-ing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2023
Help guests moisturize after hand-washing with a solid lotion/moisturizer, such as one from Kate McLeod.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2022
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
I always receive compliments on the scent, and I love how deeply it moisturizes.
From Slate ● Nov. 25, 2020
And cosmetic companies were captivated by its miracle properties: It foams in toothpaste, moisturizes soaps and lathers in shampoo.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 18, 2020
It bubbles in shampoo, foams in Colgate toothpaste, moisturizes Dove soap and helps keep lipstick from melting.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 23, 2020
“It corrects both the tone and deeply moisturizes the hair so it’s shinier and de-frizzed,” she said.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2020
Sebaceous glands coat the skin with a waxy, protective substance called vernix caseosa that protects and moisturizes the skin and may provide lubrication during childbirth.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
And the one thing I’m missing in life is a lotion that makes my skin feel super moisturized and attracts Wolf spiders.
From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2023
I imagined the many dewy hours I might spend there, how my regular trips to the steam room would lead me to become a more moisturized and generally relaxed person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2023
Better known as “RM,” he is the frontman of the supergroup BTS, the face of millennial, moisturized South Korean cool.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
Keeping your nasal passages moisturized is another simple, safe remedy that might help children and adults get some relief from the flu or cold.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2022
“Chiamaka should see life as it is, ejima m,” Kainene said, as they moisturized their faces.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
There’s Cardi B using Raising Cane’s moisturizing sauce in her skin care routine.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
The skincare brand’s R&D team developed a moisturizing stick designed specifically for the neck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Clouds of soap bubbles and cascading buckets of water follow, along with a coffee scrub and deeply moisturizing mask before a short sauna session to let everything absorb.
From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026
Teaming with the Perrin family, winemakers in the South of France, Beau Domaine incorporates organic grape water, known for its soothing and moisturizing properties, into some of its products.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
Circles with center other palm, then pincher-claw rubs with the tips of her fingers for optimal moisturizing.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
