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definitions

pixelate

[ pik-suh-leyt ]
/ ˈpɪk səˌleɪt /

verb (used with object), pix·el·at·ed, pix·el·at·ing.

in computer graphics and digital photography, to cause (an image) to break up into pixels, as by overenlarging the image: When enlarging a photograph, first increase the resolution to avoid pixelating it.
to blur (parts of a digital image) by creating unclear, pixel-like patches, for purposes of censorship or to maintain the anonymity of the subject: Police have asked the media to pixelate the faces of the men who were taken into custody.

verb (used without object), pix·el·at·ed, pix·el·at·ing.

(of a computer graphic or other digital image) to break up into visible pixels: We tried to watch the old, scratched DVD, but the image pixelated before our eyes.

Nearby words

  1. pivoting,
  2. pivotman,
  3. piwakawaka,
  4. pix,
  5. pixel,
  6. pixelation,
  7. pixie,
  8. pixilated,
  9. pixilation,
  10. pixy
Also especially British, pix·el·late. Sometimes pix·i·late.

Origin of pixelate

pixel + -ate1
Related formspix·el·a·tion, pix·el·i·za·tion [pik-suh-luh-zey-shuh n] /ˌpɪk sə ləˈzeɪ ʃən/, especially British, pix·el·la·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for pixelate

pixelate

pixellate

/ (ˈpɪksɪˌleɪt) /

verb

to blur (a video image) by overlaying it with a grid of squares, usually to disguise the identity of a person
Derived Formspixelation or pixellation, noun
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