nitrate

American  

[nahy-trayt, -trit, nahy-trayt] / ˈnaɪ treɪt, -trɪt, ˈnaɪ treɪt /

noun

• nitrates
  plural

1. Chemistry. a salt or ester of nitric acid, or any compound containing the univalent group –ONO 2 or NO 3 .

2. fertilizer consisting of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.

3. nitrocellulose.

4. Informal. nitrate film.

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verb (used with object)

• nitrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• nitrated,
  past participle,  past
• nitrating
  present participle

1. to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate.

2. to convert into a nitrate.

nitrate British  

/ ˈnaɪtreɪt /

noun

1. any salt or ester of nitric acid, such as sodium nitrate, NaNO 3

2. a fertilizer consisting of or containing nitrate salts

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verb

1. (tr) to treat with nitric acid or a nitrate

2. to convert or be converted into a nitrate

3. to undergo or cause to undergo the chemical process in which a nitro group is introduced into a molecule

nitrate Scientific  

/ nī′trāt′ /

1. 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.

2. Compare nitrite

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nitration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nitrates
  plural

Participles

• nitrating
  present
• nitrated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• nitrate
  simple
• nitrates
  simple
• have nitrated
  perfect
• has nitrated
  perfect
• am nitrating
  progressive
• are nitrating
  progressive
• is nitrating
  progressive
• have been nitrating
  perfect progressive
• has been nitrating
  perfect progressive

Past

• nitrated
  simple
• had nitrated
  perfect
• was nitrating
  progressive
• were nitrating
  progressive
• had been nitrating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will nitrate
  simple
• will have nitrated
  perfect
• will be nitrating
  progressive
• will have been nitrating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of nitrate

First recorded in 1785–95; nitr- + -ate ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nitrate nitrates nitrated nitrating

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

However, the discovery could prove useful for athletes, many of whom already consume beetroot because dietary nitrate has been shown to support exercise performance.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

If we can enhance nitrate conversion, we may be able to improve the physiological benefits that athletes obtain from nitrate-rich foods.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

The venue, the museum’s Dryden Theatre, is relatively small at 500 seats, and demand is high, not for specific titles but for the opportunity to see any given movie on nitrate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

We were sitting in chemistry lab, waiting to see what happened when we mixed silver nitrate and salt.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

There’s scant evidence that nitrates or pesticides are driving Iowa’s rising cancer rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

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 ingredients could cause a “life-threatening” drop in blood pressure when mixed with nitrates found in prescription drugs, according to the FDA.

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

"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

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

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

The nitrocelluloses are all highly inflammable bodies, the more highly nitrated burning with explosive force.

From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Franklin Beech

In the winter the room in which the nitrating is done must be kept at a temperature of about 70° F. in order to secure equality in the batches.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

Explosives demanded oleum, nitric acid, and nitrating plants, which already existed, standardised, in the factories of the dye combine.

From The Riddle of the Rhine; chemical strategy in peace and war by Victor Lefebure

A mere trace of aniline is present in the tar ready formed; from the time this base was wanted in large quantities it had to be made by nitrating benzene, and then reducing the nitrobenzene.

From Coal and What We Get from It by Raphael Meldola

The nitrating acids are supplied through the pipe m.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

Now, however, vertical iron cylinders, made of cast-iron, are used for the nitrating operation.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

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