dehydrate

/ˌdiːhaɪˈdreɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /diːˈhaɪdreɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)dē-ˈhī-ˌdrāt/ (ame, mw)

dehydrate — verb

  • dehydratepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • dehydrateshe / she / it
  • dehydratedpast simple
  • dehydrating-ing form

1. When your body loses too much water, or when something causes this to happen — f

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

When your body loses too much water, or when something causes this to happen — for example, when you are sick, exercise without drinking, or stay in hot weather for a long time.

例句

After the marathon, Yuki realised she had become dehydrated and needed water.

intransitive: become/get + dehydrated

The doctor warned the team that playing in the midday sun would dehydrate them quickly.

transitive: dehydrate + object (them)

同義詞
  • dry out

    less severe and more casual; often used for skin or plants, not the whole body

  • shrivel

    describes the physical result of water loss (wrinkling or shrinking), usually of plants or skin

反義詞
  • rehydrate

    to add water back to the body or something that has dried out

文法句型

become/get dehydrated

dehydrate + person/organism + (by/from + cause)

transitive: dehydrate + object

用法筆記

Frequently used in the passive or with linking verbs like 'become', 'feel', or 'get'. The subject is usually a person or living creature; for non-living things (skin, plants), 'dry out' is more common in everyday speech.

常見錯誤

❌I dehydrated during the hike.
✅I became dehydrated during the hike.
💡'dehydrate' as a verb needs 'become/get' when describing the state; 'dehydrated' alone is an adjective.
❌The sun dehydrated me dry.
✅The sun dehydrated me.
💡'dehydrate' already includes the idea of losing water; adding 'dry' is redundant.

2. To take the water out of food so that it lasts longer without going bad — for ex

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

To take the water out of food so that it lasts longer without going bad — for example, by drying fruit, vegetables, or meat in the sun, an oven, or a special machine.

例句

Anika uses a small machine to dehydrate apples so they last through winter.

transitive: use [tool] to dehydrate [food]

Omar dehydrated the extra tomatoes from his garden and stored them in jars.

transitive: dehydrate + food item for storage

同義詞
  • dry

    broader and more casual; can happen naturally or by accident, not necessarily for preservation

  • desiccate

    more formal or technical; often used in scientific contexts

  • freeze-dry

    a specific method of dehydrating food by freezing then removing ice in a vacuum

反義詞
  • rehydrate

    to add water back to dried food before eating or using it

文法句型

dehydrate + food item

dehydrated + food item (as adjective)

use [method/tool] to dehydrate [food]

用法筆記

This sense is almost always transitive — you dehydrate something (apples, mushrooms, meat). The passive form ('dehydrated food') is very common on product labels. Do not confuse with 'dry' — dehydrating is a deliberate preservation method, while drying can happen naturally or accidentally.

常見錯誤

❌I dehydrated to make the food last.
✅I dehydrated the mushrooms to make them last.
💡This sense is transitive; you must state what food you dehydrate.
❌The bread dehydrated in the sun.' (when meaning it became hard)
✅The bread dried out in the sun.
💡For food going stale accidentally, use 'dry out', not 'dehydrate'.