ADULTERATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does adulterate mean? 

• ADULTERATE (adjective)
  The adjective ADULTERATE has 1 sense:

1. mixed with impurities

  Familiarity information: ADULTERATE used as an adjective is very rare.

• ADULTERATE (verb)
  The verb ADULTERATE has 1 sense:

1. corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones

  Familiarity information: ADULTERATE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ADULTERATE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Mixed with impurities

Synonyms:

adulterate; adulterated; debased

Similar:

impure (combined with extraneous elements)

• ADULTERATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they adulterate    ... he / she / it adulterates   
Past simple: adulterated   
Past participle: adulterated   
-ing form: adulterating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

adulterate; debase; dilute; load; stretch

Context example:

adulterate liquor

Hypernyms (to "adulterate" is one way to...):

corrupt; spoil (alter from the original)

Verb group:

extend; stretch (increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "adulterate"):

water down (thin by adding water to)

doctor; doctor up; sophisticate (alter and make impure, as with the intention to deceive)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

adulterant (any substance that lessens the purity or effectiveness of a substance)

adulterant (making impure or corrupt by adding extraneous materials)

adulterator (a changer who lessens the purity or effectiveness of a substance)

adulterator (any substance that lessens the purity or effectiveness of a substance)

 Context examples 

Mr. Spenlow being a little drowsy after the champagne—honour to the soil that grew the grape, to the grape that made the wine, to the sun that ripened it, and to the merchant who adulterated it!—and being fast asleep in a corner of the carriage, I rode by the side and talked to Dora.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)