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
-
moisturizessimple
-
have moisturizedperfect
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has moisturizedperfect
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am moisturizingprogressive
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are moisturizingprogressive
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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
His own routine is pretty basic: cleanse, tone and moisturize along with using the line’s other products including facial scrub, antiperspirant and body washes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
Help guests moisturize after hand-washing with a solid lotion/moisturizer, such as one from Kate McLeod.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2022
He put dots of oil gel on their faces to moisturize the skin, then recalled aloud how a man had once called him to arrange his own funeral.
From New York Times ● Nov. 1, 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
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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
And cosmetic companies, which were shifting away from animal- or petroleum-based ingredients, were captivated by its miracle properties: It foams in toothpaste and shaving gel, moisturizes soaps and lathers in shampoo.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2020
And the “shine oil-in-stick” somehow moisturizes your lips, while leaving a desirable stain as it dries off.
From Slate ● Nov. 29, 2019
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
“Tones, moisturizes, helps protect skin and supports collagen production,” promises the box, which also shows a woman’s before-and-after photos, with “proven visible results” listed beneath.
From New York Times ● May 6, 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
Still, there’s a growing market around giving canines moisturized paws and a cleansed glow.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 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
Apply Surf Soap’s Rehab Balm, a restorative deep conditioner, before or after a surf to keep hair moisturized or use it as a follow-up to the All-in-One bar to avoid unruly, tangly hair and breakage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 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
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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
All of the 90-minute facials at JY Beauty include the usual facial steps, such as cleansing, extraction and moisturizing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2024
To create the artificial lymph node, the scientists used hyaluronic acid, a moisturizing substance commonly used in cosmetics and lotions and found naturally in the body's skin and joints.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 6, 2024
And since the smell part was worked out, it was time for her to explain the importance of moisturizing.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
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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.