oxygenate

IPA/ˈɒksɪdʒəneɪt/
KK[ˈɑksədʒənˌet]IPA/ˈɑːksɪdʒəneɪt/

oxygenate — verb

  • oxygenatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • oxygenateshe / she / it
  • oxygenatedpast simple
  • oxygenating-ing form

1. to put oxygen into blood, water, air, or another substance so it contains more o

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to put oxygen into blood, water, air, or another substance so it contains more of it

Example

Nurses used the mask to oxygenate Luis's blood after surgery.

oxygenate + blood in medical care

The pump helps oxygenate the fish tank during hot summer days.

oxygenate + water in a tank

Common collocations
  • oxygenate the blood
  • oxygenate the water
  • oxygenate a room
  • oxygenate a tank
Synonyms
  • aerate

    often used for soil, lawns, or water rather than blood

  • ventilate

    focuses on moving fresh air through a space

Grammar Patterns

oxygenate + object

Usage Note

Often used for blood, water, tanks, and closed spaces. The object is usually something that needs more oxygen than it has.

oxygenate — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These verbs all relate to air, but they focus on different results. Oxygenate means raising the amount of oxygen in blood, water, or another substance. Aerate is more common when air is worked into soil, lawns, or water so air can move through it. Ventilate focuses on bringing fresh air through a room or building, often for comfort or safety rather than changing oxygen levels directly. A nurse may oxygenate a patient's blood, a gardener may aerate the lawn, and a caretaker may ventilate a hot classroom.

oxygenate ↗aerate ↗ventilate ↗

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Built in scientific English from oxygen and the verb-forming ending -ate. It first described giving something oxygen, and the technical noun later came to mean a fuel substance that contains oxygen.

First known use

1788

1788, in the meaning defined above Noun