desalinate

verb

de·​sa·​li·​nate (ˌ)dē-ˈsa-lə-ˌnāt How to pronounce desalinate (audio)
 also  -ˈsā-
desalinated; desalinating
desalination noun
desalinator noun

Examples of desalinate in a Sentence

The company is building a plant that will desalinate seawater.
Recent Examples on the Web In agriculture, hot countries that lack fresh water could harness solar power for desalinating and pumping water, enabling farmers to work previously infertile land. Dickon Pinner, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2015 In other intriguing news, San Diego County is looking into desalinating even more Pacific Ocean water — if other parts of the West looking to use less Colorado River water are willing to pay for it. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 The treatment technology is similar to the process used for desalinating seawater, but recycling wastewater requires less energy and is less costly than turning saltwater into freshwater. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2023 Without fuel, water cannot be pumped or desalinated, generators that power hospitals – that keep incubators, ventilators and dialysis machines running and to sterilize surgical equipment – will fail. Helen Regan, CNN, 24 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for desalinate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desalinate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of desalinate was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near desalinate

Cite this Entry

“Desalinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desalinate. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

desalinate

verb
de·​sa·​li·​nate (ˈ)dē-ˈsal-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce desalinate (audio)
 also  -ˈsā-lə-
desalinated; desalinating
: desalt
desalination
(ˌ)dē-ˌsal-ə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce desalinate (audio)
 also  -ˌsā-lə-
noun
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