phosphate
Americannoun
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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
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.
But the ports on the Red Sea weren’t built for phosphate trade.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
The company is scaling back phosphate production in the U.S. and Brazil and withdrew its production guidance.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
On Monday, the company withdrew its guidance for phosphate production amid record sulfur prices.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
Mosaic, a leader in potash and phosphate fertilizers, reported a net loss of $258 million in the first quarter.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
It was caused not by an insecticide but by a substance belonging chemically to the same group as the organic phosphate insecticides.
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.
