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sodium chloride

American  

noun

Chemistry.

  1. salt.

sodium chloride British  

noun

  1. Also called: salt.  common table salt; a soluble colourless crystalline compound occurring naturally as halite and in sea water: widely used as a seasoning and preservative for food and in the manufacture of chemicals, glass, and soap. Formula: NaCl

"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

Etymology

Origin of sodium chloride

First recorded in 1865–70

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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.

On Tuesday, authorities used a Cessna aircraft to release fire flares containing silver iodide and sodium chloride into the atmosphere.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025

If you believe that organic pesticides are inherently safer than nonorganic pesticides, that sodium chloride is different from table salt, or that “plant-based” necessarily means “nontoxic,” you have been duped by chemophobia.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2024

For example, eyedrops contain sodium chloride, or salt, and some “bugs like to grow in salty water,” Novack said.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2024

The evidence has mounted that too much salt – specifically the sodium chloride added to preserve and enhance the flavor of many highly processed foods – is making people sick.

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2024

“Question. In sodium chloride, which element has the negative charge?”

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

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.