sublimate
verb (used with object)
to divert the energy of (a sexual or other biological impulse) from its immediate goal to one of a more acceptable social, moral, or aesthetic nature or use.
sublimates
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present tense formof sublimate (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
He sublimates by focusing on new fabrication methods and by researching casting and molding techniques.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
"Because Martian air is so thin and the temperatures so cold, water-ice snow sublimates, or becomes a gas, before it even touches the ground. Dry-ice snow actually does reach the ground," NASA's website states.
From Salon ● May 16, 2025
Hoss, whose quiet, sympathetic gaze can register even the subtlest shifts in emotional temperature, here sublimates her star persona in much the same way that Sharon represses her own needs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
The tiny blood siphons are attracted by the carbon dioxide that sublimates off the dry ice, like breath exhaled from a potential host.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2017
When the substance is under examination, we should devote our attention to the nature of the sublimates, and to that of the odors of the gases.
