PULVERIZE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pulverize mean? 

• PULVERIZE (verb)
  The verb PULVERIZE has 3 senses:

1. make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust

2. destroy completely

3. become powder or dust

  Familiarity information: PULVERIZE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PULVERIZE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they pulverize    ... he / she / it pulverizes   
Past simple: pulverized   
Past participle: pulverized   
-ing form: pulverizing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

powder; powderise; powderize; pulverise; pulverize

Context example:

pulverize the grains

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

disintegrate (break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity)

Verb group:

powderise; powderize; pulverise; pulverize (become powder or dust)

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

pulverization (the act of grinding to a powder or dust)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Destroy completely

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

demolish; pulverise; pulverize

Context example:

the wrecking ball demolished the building

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

destroy; destruct (do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of)

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

pulverization (annihilation by pulverizing something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Become powder or dust

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

powderise; powderize; pulverise; pulverize

Context example:

When it was blown up, the building powderized

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

disintegrate (break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity)

Verb group:

powder; powderise; powderize; pulverise; pulverize (make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

pulverization (a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized)

 Context examples 

Any whole or part of a plant (including plant exudates), animal or microorganism that is unprocessed (raw material), or that has been processed, pulverized or extracted.

(Natural Product, NCI Thesaurus)

For example, if a pinhead-sized sample of brain tissue from an Alzheimer’s patient were pulverized and diluted into a thousand gallons of liquid, the test still could detect tau seeds in a pinhead-sized volume of that dilution.

(New test detects protein associated with Alzheimer’s and CTE, National Institutes of Health)