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Showing results for chlorinate. Search instead for trichlorinated.

chlorinate

American  
[klawr-uh-nayt, klohr-] / ˈklɔr əˌneɪt, ˈkloʊr- /

verb (used with object)

chlorinated, chlorinating
  1. Chemistry.

    1. to combine or treat with chlorine.

    2. to introduce chlorine atoms into an organic compound by an addition or substitution reaction.

  2. to disinfect (water) by means of chlorine.

  3. Metallurgy. to treat (a gold ore) with chlorine gas in order that the gold may be removed as a soluble chloride.


chlorinate British  
/ ˈklɔːrɪˌneɪt /

verb

  1. to combine or treat (a substance) with chlorine

  2. to disinfect (water) with chlorine

"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

chlorinate Scientific  
/ klôr′ə-nāt′ /
  1. To add chlorine or one of its compounds to a substance. Water and sewage are chlorinated to be disinfected, and paper pulp is chlorinated to be bleached.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of chlorinate

First recorded in 1855–60; chlorine + -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:

Namphy and his government colleagues raced to chlorinate water arriving in the camps.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 16, 2020

We chlorinate our water, so what’s the problem with using chlorine washes to make chicken safe?

From The Guardian ● Sep. 10, 2019

Residents now chlorinate it, boil it or filter it through rugs.

From New York Times ● Dec. 13, 2014

That move comes after actors in chicken outfits in one French protest troupe — dubbed the "chicken brigade" — tried to "chlorinate themselves" in a public pool.

From Chicago Tribune ● Dec. 5, 2014

Hydrogen peroxide, also a bleaching compound, is less rapid in its action than chlorinate of soda; the same may be said of combinations of oxalic and sulphurous acids.

From Forty Centuries of Ink or, a chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink. by David Nunes Carvalho

And note that people with diarrhea should not go to water parks or swimming pools: The parasite that causes cyclosporiasis can survive in chlorinated water, according to Egan.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

After further investigation, those patterns were linked to chlorinated paraffins associated with MCCPs.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 11, 2026

According to the British agricultural press, more than 150,000 Brits have since signed petitions urging their supermarket chains to “publicly rule out chlorinated chicken.”

From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2026

When contacted by AFP, Migros, Switzerland's largest supermarket chain, said it "has no plans to stock chlorinated or chemically treated chicken on its shelves" as those birds did not meet Swiss "consumer expectations".

From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025

It was the end-of-school pool party—at Max’s pool, of course—and Max felt that glow that comes from spending a full day in sunshine and chlorinated water.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Its petrochemical division, OxyChem, manufactures and sells chemicals used in applications such as chlorinating water, recycling batteries and producing paper.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025

The water district began chlorinating the water system to sanitize it Saturday and will continue doing so.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2023

Some ideas include chlorinating or flushing out the material, Pestrella said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2021

He says with the rainy season under way, the government has in recent weeks taken steps to prevent a cholera outbreak by chlorinating wells in Monrovia.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2014

The little chlorinating plant is situated on the line of this tunnel so that the solution is readily introduced into the water before it reaches the pool called a settling basin.

From How To Write Special Feature Articles A Handbook for Reporters, Correspondents and Free-Lance Writers Who Desire to Contribute to Popular Magazines and Magazine Sections of Newspapers by Willard Grosvenor Bleyer

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