oxidize

American  

[ok-si-dahyz] / ˈɒk sɪˌdaɪz /

especially British, oxidise

verb (used with object)

oxidizes, present (3rd person singular) oxidized, past participle, past oxidizing present participle

1. to convert (an element) into an oxide; combine with oxygen.

2. to cover with a coating of oxide or rust.

3. to take away hydrogen, as by the action of oxygen; add oxygen or any nonmetal.

4. to remove electrons from (an atom or molecule), thereby increasing the valence.

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verb (used without object)

oxidizes, present (3rd person singular) oxidized, past participle, past oxidizing present participle

1. to become oxidized.

2. (especially of white wine) to lose freshness after prolonged exposure to air and often to darken in color.

oxidize British  

/ ˈɒksɪˌdaɪz /

verb

1. to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction with oxygen, as in formation of an oxide

2. to form or cause to form a layer of metal oxide, as in rusting

3. to lose or cause to lose hydrogen atoms

4. to undergo or cause to undergo a decrease in the number of electrons Compare reduce

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oxidize Scientific  

/ ŏk′sĭ-dīz′ /

1. To undergo or cause to undergo oxidation.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oxidizability
  noun
• oxidization
  noun
• overoxidize
  verb
• reoxidize
  verb
• underoxidize
  verb (used with object)
• antioxidizing
  adjective
• half-oxidized
  adjective
• nonoxidizable
  adjective
• nonoxidizing
  adjective
• oxidable
  adjective
• oxidizable
  adjective
• unoxidizable
  adjective
• unoxidized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• oxidizing
  present
• oxidized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• oxidize
  simple
• oxidizes
  simple
• have oxidized
  perfect
• has oxidized
  perfect
• am oxidizing
  progressive
• are oxidizing
  progressive
• is oxidizing
  progressive
• have been oxidizing
  perfect progressive
• has been oxidizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• oxidized
  simple
• had oxidized
  perfect
• was oxidizing
  progressive
• were oxidizing
  progressive
• had been oxidizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will oxidize
  simple
• will have oxidized
  perfect
• will be oxidizing
  progressive
• will have been oxidizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of oxidize

First recorded in 1795–1805; oxide + -ize

Explanation

To oxidize is to chemically combine with oxygen. If you have a rusty car, that is the result of "oxidizing." In chemistry class, you'll probably learn about oxidizing, which is when oxygen molecules combine with other molecules to produce an oxide. The most common example of oxidizing is rusting: oxygen interacts with iron molecules to produce the new (and unwelcome) iron oxide molecules, better known as rust. There are other types of oxidizing too, such as how the oxygen in our bodies is used to break down sugars. Oxidizing is a type of chemical reaction.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oxidize oxidizes oxidized oxidizing

“The presence of ferrihydrite tells us something specific about Mars' past environment,” Valentinas said, describing the cold and pH neutral waters that must have existed to oxidize the soil.

From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2025

These, Borduas-Dedekind explains, oxidize in the air, forming larger molecules that can easily absorb water and form clouds.

From National Geographic ● Feb. 16, 2024

Over time, the shiny brass exterior will oxidize, giving the pencil holder a vintage, worn-in feel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023

These outer reactors would carry a second type of metal that can also easily oxidize.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2023

Perhaps there is an exotic inorganic chemistry in the Martian soil that is able by itself, in the absence of Martian microbes, to oxidize foodstuffs.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

When olive oil is exposed to fluctuations in temperature, light and air, which oxidizes the oil to its detriment, its quality diminishes.

From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2025

The final improved enzyme does not directly cleave the silicon-carbon bond but rather oxidizes a methyl group in the siloxanes in two sequential steps.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 25, 2024

Food is an organic compound: it congeals, runs, discolors and oxidizes over time and because of the conditions in the kitchen you’re shooting in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023

In the process, the iron oxidizes, grabbing oxygen atoms from water molecules and releasing hydrogen.

From Science Magazine ● Feb. 15, 2023

"Over time, it partly oxidizes, which keeps providing sites for nutrients to bind to."

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

They don’t have coffee, but they do have Jeju Island–grown “Regenerative Organic-Certified” black tea oxidized as matcha.

From Slate ● May 8, 2026

Barnett discovered that ROS oxidized certain immune and metabolic proteins involved in neurological disease, altering the activity of thousands of genes tied to inflammation and dementia.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2025

“I was talking about stale, oxidized matcha powder, but I completely get that it came off a very wrong way. I chose the wrong words and I really apologize for that.”

From Salon ● May 17, 2025

The result: desktop-worthy close-ups of virus-sized crystals, more than a thousand times finer than a human hair, as they get oxidized and dissolve into the acidic liquid around them.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 11, 2024

Scattered almost randomly around the top of the mounds are burned, oxidized chunks of rock—hearth stones—in drifts of fish bones and ash.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

And a 2016 US government study found perchlorate, an oxidizing agent used in fireworks, had made its way into groundwater and surface water around Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which holds annual July 4 shows.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

They found that adding dimethylammonium formate, or DMAFo, to the perovskite solution before coating could prevent the materials from oxidizing.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 22, 2024

There, parked in a driveway at the rear of a home, is an odd-looking, flat-nosed, miniature-size pickup, rust holes here and there, its red paint oxidizing.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023

In her visually complex raku-fired pieces at Craft Contemporary, she embraces the oxidizing of glazes and leaves imprints of her hands in the clay, emphasizing the collaboration between herself and the material.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2023

The transition to an oxidizing atmosphere posed a supreme crisis in the history of life, and a great many organisms, unable to cope with oxygen, perished.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan