purify

/ˈpjʊərɪfaɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpjʊrɪfaɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpyu̇r-ə-ˌfī/ (ame, mw)

purify — verb

  • purifypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • purifieshe / she / it
  • purifiedpast simple
  • purifying-ing form

1. to clear a substance of anything dirty, dangerous, or unwanted so that it become

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to clear a substance of anything dirty, dangerous, or unwanted so that it becomes clean and usable

例句

Emeka boiled water from the nearby stream to purify it before his children drank.

purify + object + before-clause

The factory added charcoal filters to purify the air before it left the main chimney.

同義詞
  • cleanse

    less technical; often used for skin or the body rather than substances like water or chemicals

  • filter

    specifically means passing something through a physical barrier to trap unwanted particles

  • refine

    used especially for improving the quality of metals, oil, or sugar through an industrial process

  • distil

    involves boiling a liquid and collecting the condensed vapour; a specific method of purification

反義詞
  • contaminate

    to make a substance dirty or unsafe by adding something harmful

  • pollute

    used especially for large-scale contamination of water, air, or land

文法句型

purify + object

purify + object + by + -ing

purify + object + of + noun

用法筆記

Object is usually a substance that can be made cleaner (water, air, metal, a chemical sample). Frequently used in scientific, industrial, and environmental writing.

常見錯誤

❌I purified my hands with soap.
✅I washed my hands with soap.
💡purify is used for removing impurities from a substance (water, air, chemicals), not for routine cleaning of body parts or household objects.

2. to cleanse the heart or soul by removing a sense of having done wrong, so that t

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to cleanse the heart or soul by removing a sense of having done wrong, so that the person feels spiritually clean again

例句

Fatima attended the temple ceremony hoping to purify her heart of past regrets.

purify + heart + of + [negative feeling]

The monk told Santiago that sincere prayer could purify his troubled conscience.

同義詞
  • cleanse

    more common in everyday speech; can refer to both physical and spiritual cleaning without the formal or religious weight of purify

  • absolve

    specifically means freeing someone from blame or guilt, often in a religious or legal setting

  • redeem

    emphasises saving or rescuing someone from a state of sin or moral failure

反義詞
  • corrupt

    to damage someone's moral character or make them dishonest

  • defile

    to make something spiritually or ceremonially unclean; very strong and often religious

文法句型

purify + reflexive pronoun

purify + soul/heart/mind

purify + object + of + noun

用法筆記

Object is usually something abstract (soul, heart, mind, conscience). Common in religious, spiritual, and literary writing. Distinguish from sense 1 (REMOVE IMPURITIES), which describes physical cleaning of substances.

常見錯誤

❌The holiday purified my stress.
✅The holiday helped me let go of my stress.
💡purify in the moral sense suggests deep spiritual or moral cleansing; it is too strong for ordinary relief from daily tension or worry.