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oxide

American  
[ok-sahyd, -sid] / ˈɒk saɪd, -sɪd /
Also oxid

noun

Chemistry.

  1. a compound in which oxygen is bonded to one or more electropositive atoms.

oxide British  
/ ˈɒksaɪd /

noun

  1. any compound of oxygen with another element

  2. any organic compound in which an oxygen atom is bound to two alkyl or aryl groups; an ether or epoxide

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
oxide Scientific  
/ ŏk′sīd′ /

  1. A compound of oxygen and another element or radical. Water (H 2 O) is an oxide.

Other Word Forms

  • oxidic adjective

Etymology

Origin of oxide

First recorded in 1780–90; from French (now oxyde ), blend of ox(ygène) oxygen and (ac)ide acid

Vocabulary lists containing oxide

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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.

They were named for their structural resemblance to perovskites, a broader class of oxide materials widely studied in materials science.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

“We are proud to join this team with a view to establish Europe’s first rare earth oxide and metal-making platform, which will accelerate the realization of a secure, sustainable transatlantic rare earth value chain.”

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

The cells produced much less nitric oxide, which helps blood vessels relax and widen, and more endothelin-1, which causes vessels to tighten.

From Science Daily • Mar. 28, 2026

Take quicklime, otherwise known as calcium oxide, and just add water.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

When corn, oats, or sorghum containing large amounts of nitrates are ensiled they release poisonous nitrogen oxide gases, creating a deadly hazard to anyone entering the silo.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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.