Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To remove water or moisture from something; to cause something to lose water: This is the primary meaning, referring to the process of extracting water from a substance, often for preservation.
   • To deprive the body of water; to cause someone to lose too much water: This meaning describes the physiological effect on a living organism, leading to a state of dehydration.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To lose water or moisture; to become dry: This describes the process that a substance or organism undergoes when water is removed.

Usage and Examples

• Transitive Verb (to remove water):
  • The machine will dehydrate the fruit to make dried snacks.
  • You can dehydrate herbs to preserve their flavor for longer.
• Transitive Verb (to cause bodily water loss):
  • The intense heat and exercise can quickly dehydrate an athlete.
  • Illnesses that cause vomiting can dehydrate a patient.
• Intransitive Verb (to lose water):
  • Without rain, the soil will dehydrate and crack.
  • Your body begins to dehydrate if you don't drink enough fluids.

Advanced Usage

• In a scientific/technical context: The term is precise and describes a controlled process.
  • The laboratory procedure is to dehydrate the sample using a chemical desiccant before analysis.
• In a medical context: Often used to describe a harmful condition.
  • The doctor warned that the fever could dehydrate the child dangerously.

Variants and Related Words

• Dehydration (noun): The state or process of being dehydrated.
  • Severe dehydration requires immediate medical attention.
• Dehydrated (adjective): Describing something from which water has been removed, or a person suffering from a lack of water.
  • We ate dehydrated meals on the hiking trip.
  • The marathon runner felt weak and dehydrated.

Synonyms

• Desiccate: To dry out thoroughly. (More formal/scientific)
• Dry (out): A more general and common term for removing moisture.
• Parch: To make dry and hot, often used for land or throat.

Antonyms

• Hydrate: To cause to absorb water.
• Moisten: To make slightly wet.
• Rehydrate: To restore water or moisture to something that has been dehydrated.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• (To be/become) dehydrated: This is the standard phrase to describe the state resulting from the verb's action.
  • It's easy to become dehydrated in this climate without realizing it.
• Dehydrated food: A common compound noun referring to food preserved by having most of its water removed.
  • Backpackers often carry dehydrated food to save weight.

Verb

1. lose water or moisture
   • In the desert, you get dehydrated very quickly
2. remove water from
   • All this exercise and sweating has dehydrated me
3. preserve by removing all water and liquids from
   • carry dehydrated food on your camping trip