phosphate
Americannoun
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phosphates
plural
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Chemistry.
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(loosely) a salt or ester of phosphoric acid.
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a tertiary salt of orthophosphoric acid, as sodium phosphate.
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Agriculture. a fertilizing material containing compounds of phosphorus.
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a carbonated drink of water and fruit syrup containing a little phosphoric acid.
noun
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any salt or ester of any phosphoric acid, esp a salt of orthophosphoric acid
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(often plural) any of several chemical fertilizers containing phosphorous compounds
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of phosphate
Vocabulary lists containing phosphate
Pacific Islands - Introductory
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Pacific Islands - Middle School and High School
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 3
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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:
The Food and Drug Administration approved revised labeling for the iron replacement medicine to warn of the risk of low levels of phosphate in the blood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Should it go ahead, the Sandpiper Project would be a world-first, with other offshore phosphate mining projects having been held back by environmental concerns.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Blooms occur naturally but are more frequent during warm, dry weather and are exacerbated by nutrients from phosphate in pollutants such as sewage.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Highly concentrated brines can keep phosphate dissolved in solution and can promote chemical reactions involving organic compounds and minerals that precipitate from solution.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
It is now known that many pairs of organic phosphate insecticides are highly dangerous, the toxicity being stepped up or “potentiated” through the combined action.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
A group of Gloucestershire neighbours testing their local river every week for more than a year say they are concerned by "worryingly high" levels of phosphates and nitrates recorded.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Other relief being sought includes dropping long-standing duties on countries that export fertilizer products to the U.S., such as Morocco, a supplier of phosphates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2026
The Middle East fighting has choked off big chunks of the world’s supply of ammonia, urea, sulfur and phosphates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
The territory is rich in phosphates and home to lucrative fishing grounds.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
The second major group of insecticides, the alkyl or organic phosphates, are among the most poisonous chemicals in the world.
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.
