nitrate
Americannoun
-
nitrates
plural
-
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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nitrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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nitrated,
past participle, past
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nitrating
present participle
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
nitratesimple
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nitratessimple
-
have nitratedperfect
-
has nitratedperfect
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am nitratingprogressive
-
are nitratingprogressive
-
is nitratingprogressive
-
have been nitratingperfect progressive
-
has been nitratingperfect progressive
Past
-
nitratedsimple
-
had nitratedperfect
-
was nitratingprogressive
-
were nitratingprogressive
-
had been nitratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nitrate
Vocabulary lists containing nitrate
South America - Middle 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.
See Examples For:
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found that gut microbes can transform nitrate and iron from food into molecules that may help protect against cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Alongside the hot weather, the government said "the efforts of the Action for Cleaner Water group and agriculture industry to reduce nitrate use on fields will support the reduction of build-up".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The findings suggest that, under specific conditions, sugary chewing gum can help the body make better use of dietary nitrate found in foods such as beetroot, spinach, and kale.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
The festival is dedicated to screening prints on nitrate film, which was standard in Hollywood through the 1940s but is rarely shown today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 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
They contain nitrates, high levels of sodium and saturated fats, and aromatic hydrocarbons that increase the risk of cancer, hypertension, and heart disease.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026
"The levels of both nitrates, which we believe comes from agricultural fertilisers, and also phosphates, which tends to come more from the sewage outlets, the levels are both high, worryingly high," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Men who use nitrates to treat cardiac conditions are most at risk when using the products, according to the announcement, which urged customers who purchased the products to stop using them immediately.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
A research group led by Professor Fumiaki Amano at Tokyo Metropolitan University has focused on the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction, an emerging method that creates ammonia from nitrates at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025
The danger lies in the increase in nitrates, for the peculiar physiology of the ruminant at once poses a critical problem.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
One of the most effective ways of doing this is to develop antibodies that bind to the protein and block it from being nitrated in the first place.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024
"This is a common modification we see in biology. However, we found that HGF loses its physiological activity when it becomes nitrated, and this phenomenon accumulates with age."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024
The widespread willingness to forgive pink, nitrated bacon for causing cancer illustrates how torn we feel when something beloved in our culture is proven to be detrimental to health.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 1, 2018
When PAHs from a flame mingle with nitrogen, say from a slab of meat, they can form nitrated PAHs, or NPAHs.
From Slate ● Jan. 23, 2014
Among the substances that have been nitrated are:—Cellulose, under various forms, e.g., cotton, lignin, &c.; glycerine, benzene, starch, jute, sugar, phenol, wood, straw, and even such substances as treacle and horse-dung.
From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford
Now, when all these fellows go about nitrating their glycerine," said Hawkins serenely, "they simply overlook the scientific principle which I have discovered.
From Mr. Hawkins' Humorous Adventures by Edgar Franklin
The nitrating acids are supplied through the pipe m.
From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford
By simply nitrating at a higher temperature than the cotton, the flax will yield a pyroxyline giving an equally fluid collodion.
From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford
In some cases the process is carried out in an ordinary nitrating centrifugal, using the latter to effect preliminary drying after acid extraction.
From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford
The nitrating house is best built of wood, and should have a close-boarded floor, which should be kept scrupulously clean, and free from grit and sand.
From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford
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