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necrotize

American  
[nek-ruh-tahyz] / ˈnɛk rəˌtaɪz /
especially British, necrotise

verb (used without object)

necrotized, necrotizing
  1. to undergo necrosis.


verb (used with object)

necrotized, necrotizing
  1. to cause necrosis in (a tissue, an organ, etc.).

Etymology

Origin of necrotize

1870–75; necrot(ic) ( def. ) + -ize


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:

Smith’s injury is to the same leg that was surgically repaired in 2018 after he suffered a compound fracture and contracted an infection that necrotized much of the muscle and tissue around his right shin.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 18, 2020

If left untreated by removal of necrotized tissue, bedsores can be fatal if they become infected.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Tissue in his eyes has necrotized, which Behcet’s wouldn’t have caused.

From Time ● Mar. 20, 2012

The outbreak first emerged in dairy cattle in the Texas Panhandle, where animals developed severe cases of necrotizing mastitis, a painful inflammatory disease that damages tissue in the mammary glands.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

Newborns are at risk for necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening inflammation of the intestine that virtually only affects new babies, according to the National Library of Medicine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2025

In preterm infants, delayed clamping leads to improved circulation, less need for blood transfusions and a lower incidence of serious complications, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, or inflammation of the digestive tract.

From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2023

Probiotic supplements may be used to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis, a dangerous infection affecting premature infants that inflames and kills intestinal tissue.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2023

Vessels become hyperreactive to epinephrine so that physiologic concentrations suddenly possess necrotizing properties.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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