Synonyms

purify

American

[pyoor-uh-fahy] / ˈpjʊər əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to make pure; free from anything that debases, pollutes, adulterates, or contaminates.

to purify metals.
to free from foreign, extraneous, or objectionable elements.

to purify a language.
to free from guilt or evil.
to clear or purge (usually followed by of orfrom ).
to make clean for ceremonial or ritual use.

verb (used without object)

to become pure.

purify British

/ ˈpjʊərɪˌfaɪ, ˈpjʊərɪfɪˌkeɪtərɪ /

verb

to free (something) of extraneous, contaminating, or debasing matter
(tr) to free (a person, etc) from sin or guilt
(tr) to make clean, as in a ritual, esp the churching of women after childbirth

"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

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Present

Past

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Etymology

Origin of purify

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English purifien, from Middle French purifier, from Latin pūrificāre; see pure, -ify

Explanation

To purify something is to remove dirt, chemicals, or anything else that it's contaminated with. You might decide to purify your tap water if it tastes like chlorine. While scientists purify various chemicals during experiments, the substance that people most often purify is water. Water needs to be treated before it's safe to drink, and cities purify the water they send out to people's houses. You can also use the verb purify in a figurative way, to mean "make ritually or religiously clean or pure." This is the word's earliest meaning, from the Latin root purificare, "to make pure."

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Vocabulary lists containing purify

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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.

Studies after that conflict concluded the damage hampered efforts to purify water and contributed to infant mortality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Ice masters look at the PH levels of the water and purify it to remove minerals and impurities.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

The punishments were made after a "systematic review" and were needed "to enforce industry discipline, purify the football environment, and maintain fair competition", the CFA wrote on its official social media account Thursday.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

Researchers at the University of Iowa have identified a new way to "purify" photons, a development that could improve both the performance and security of light based quantum technologies.

From Science Daily • Dec. 23, 2025

He was sent by the oracle at Delphi to purify Athens of a plague.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023