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pixelate

[pik-suh-leyt]

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.
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

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