nitrate
Americannoun
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Chemistry. a salt or ester of nitric acid, or any compound containing the univalent group –ONO 2 or NO 3 .
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fertilizer consisting of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.
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Informal. nitrate film.
verb (used with object)
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to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate.
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to convert into a nitrate.
noun
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any salt or ester of nitric acid, such as sodium nitrate, NaNO 3
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a fertilizer consisting of or containing nitrate salts
verb
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(tr) to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate
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to convert or be converted into a nitrate
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to undergo or cause to undergo the chemical process in which a nitro group is introduced into a molecule
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A salt or ester of nitric acid, containing the group NO 3. Nitrates dissolve extremely easily in water and are an important component of the nitrogen cycle.
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Compare nitrite
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has nitratedperfect 3rd person singular
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have nitratedperfect
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have been nitratingperfect progressive
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are nitratingprogressive
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has been nitratingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am nitratingprogressive 1st person singular
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is nitratingprogressive 3rd person singular
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nitratessingular 3rd person
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nitratingparticiple
Past
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had nitratedperfect
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had been nitratingperfect progressive
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were nitratingprogressive plural
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was nitratingprogressive singular
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nitratedparticiple
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nitratedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of nitrate
Vocabulary lists containing nitrate
South America - Middle School
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South America - Introductory
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South America - High School
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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.
But what had never before moved me was an actual reel of film—sitting, in this case, in the inspection room of the George Eastman Museum’s offsite nitrate vaults.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Tests revealed the water is contaminated with nitrate, which can come from fertilizer, animal manure or human sewage, and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a hazardous chemical that was widely used in pesticides years ago.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
The 10th edition of the event dedicated to screening movies on nitrate film, at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, N.Y., featured a dizzying array of historical gems and Hollywood treasures.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
According to ECU Associate Professor Catherine Bondonno, the protective effect associated with nitrate-rich vegetables may be related to how the body processes nitrate.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
Whatever she saw, it clearly shook her, even worse than trying to pull out the reel of silver nitrate film.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
