chloride

IPA/ˈklɔːraɪd/
KK[klˈɔraɪd]IPA/ˈklɔːraɪd/

chloride — noun

  • chloridesingular
  • chloridesplural

1. A substance made when the element chlorine bonds with another element — for exam

1.nounB2
Definition

A substance made when the element chlorine bonds with another element — for example, sodium chloride, which is common table salt.

Example

Aiko tested the swimming pool water for chloride using a kit from the hardware store.

measurement context: chloride test / chloride level

The doctor told Rohan that his sweat chloride test showed no signs of the illness.

medical usage: sweat chloride test

Common collocations
  • chloride level
  • chloride content
  • sodium chloride
  • potassium chloride
  • calcium chloride
  • chloride compound
  • chloride ion
Synonyms
  • salt

    Much broader in meaning; only specific salts (e.g. sodium chloride) are chlorides.

  • compound

    A general class term that includes chlorides along with many other chemical groups.

  • halide

    The broader chemical family; chlorides are one type of halide (others are bromides, iodides). More technical.

Grammar Patterns

chloride + of + [element]

sodium chloride / potassium chloride etc.

Usage Note

When talking about a specific type, use countable form (calcium chloride, potassium chloride). When referring to the general group of substances, use uncountable (Chloride is present in seawater).

Common Mistakes

Chlorine is used in many foods as a seasoning.
Chloride
specifically sodium chloride — is used as table salt.' — Chlorine is a greenish gas; chloride is the compound form found in salt.
The lab detected high levels of dangerous chloride in the water.
The lab detected high levels of chloride in the water.
Chloride itself is not automatically dangerous; it is a naturally occurring compound. Use context to clarify safety.

Word family

  • chlorine
    nounB2
  • chlorinate
    verbC1
  • chlorination
    nounC1
  • chlorinated
    adjectiveC1
  • dechlorinate
    verbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Chloride and chlorine are often confused but are chemically distinct: chlorine is a greenish-yellow gas (the element), while chloride is a compound formed when chlorine bonds with another element. Salt is a much broader everyday term — table salt (sodium chloride) is one example of a chloride, but chemists use 'salt' for many ionic compounds, not just chlorides. Compound is the widest category: every chloride is a compound, but not every compound is a chloride. For example, water (H₂O) is a compound but contains no chlorine. When shopping for pool supplies, 'chlorine' refers to the disinfectant, while 'chloride' is simply a harmless by-product.

chloride ↗chlorine ↗salt ↗compound ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • chloride level
  • chloride content
  • chloride test
  • chloride compound

Phrases

  • sodium chloride
  • potassium chloride
  • calcium chloride
  • ammonium chloride

Prepositions

  • chloride of ...
  • chloride in ...

Etymology

Ancient GreekEnglish

The word comes from 'chlorine', which was named in 1810 from the Ancient Greek 'khlōros' (χλωρός) meaning 'pale green', referring to the greenish-yellow colour of the chlorine gas. The suffix '-ide' indicates a binary compound — so a chloride is literally 'a compound made from chlorine'. The term entered English scientific use in the early 1800s.