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potentiate

American  
[puh-ten-shee-eyt] / pəˈtɛn ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

potentiated, potentiating
  1. to cause to be potent; make powerful.

  2. to increase the effectiveness of; intensify.


potentiate British  
/ pəˈtɛnʃɪˌeɪt /

verb

  1. to cause to be potent

  2. med to increase (the individual action or effectiveness) of two drugs by administering them in combination with each other

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of potentiate

1810–20; < Latin potenti ( a ) power ( see potency) + -ate 1

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:

He said: "In the scientific literature there are some reported synergies between viral respiratory infections, for example, flu and meningococcal infections as the viral infections may potentiate the spread."

From BBC Mar. 18, 2026

"Ideally, we aim for venetoclax to potentiate the anti-leukemia properties of asparaginase while keeping its toxicity levels in check. These concepts warrant further investigation in future clinical trials."

From Science Daily Apr. 8, 2024

This prompted a Hebbian model in which ‘fear cells’ with co-active inputs conveying the paired CS–US presentations potentiate their responses to subsequent CS presentations1, 3, 5.

From Nature Mar. 21, 2017

And I think there are also conditions to modernize, to update and to find more advantages, so that it will potentiate shared common possibilities that we, the three partners, the three strategic partners have.

From Time Jul. 22, 2016

It's clean enough to ask any potentiate of Europe to eat off'n any spot in it.

From Vacation with the Tucker Twins by Speed, Nell

Schulze and Oren's team have now demonstrated this in adipocytes from mouse breast tissue: The cancer-promoting properties of adipocytes are potentiated when the breast cancer cells carry p53 mutations.

From Science Daily Jan. 3, 2024

Its infectiously giddy mood is potentiated by the sound of an Indian orchestra, recorded in Mumbai by Talvin Singh.

From The Guardian Oct. 24, 2019

For example, knockout mice that are deficient in α-synuclein show potentiated vesicular transmitter release48.

From Nature Nov. 8, 2016

“Ford’s book is not everyone’s but it’s potentiated by a very real talent—broody, moody stuff with some strong writing.”

From Newsweek

Last Epoch, when the energies of intellect in the cycle of genius were, though in a rich and more potentiated form, becoming predominant over passion and creative self-manifestation.

From Literary Remains, Volume 2 by Coleridge, Samuel Taylor

Chromosomal changes alter the expression of many genes, potentiating progression to M1/PT-like genomes.

From Nature Sep. 18, 2013

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