sulfate
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to combine, treat, or impregnate with sulfuric acid, a sulfate, or sulfates.
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to convert into a sulfate.
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Electricity. to form a deposit of lead-sulfate compound on (the lead electrodes of a storage battery).
verb (used without object)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sulfate
From the New Latin word sulphātum, dating back to 1780–90. See sulfur, -ate 2
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.
Scientists found sulfate minerals concentrated in a small low area that likely formed when pools of sulfate-rich water gradually evaporated.
From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026
A new study published in Nature Communications reports the detection of an iron sulfate on Mars that may represent a previously unknown mineral.
From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026
Sulfur is abundant on Mars and commonly combines with other elements to create sulfate minerals.
From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026
It will reportedly be the first factory in Africa to refine lithium concentrate into lithium sulfate -- a powdered form that is one step closer to the product used in batteries.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
The treatment is bed rest, which he desperately needs anyway, injections of zinc sulfate, and quinine tablets.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
