Standard Lemma guide

centrifuge

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈsɛntɹɪˌfjuːdʒ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S EH1 N T R AH0 F Y UW2 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A device in which a mixture of denser and lighter materials (normally dispersed in a liquid) is separated by being spun about a central axis at high speed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An apparatus in which humans are spun to simulate acceleration in an aircraft or spacecraft.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

By extension, any device which rotates in order to produce artificial gravity (in the form of centrifugal force)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To rotate something in a centrifuge, typically in order to separate its constituents.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

an apparatus that uses centrifugal force to separate particles from a suspension

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: extractor, separator

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: apparatus, setup

Narrower terms: hematocrit, haematocrit, ultracentrifuge

6

verb

Meaning 6

rotate at very high speed in order to separate the liquids from the solids

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: centrifugate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spin

Narrower terms: ultracentrifuge

History

Etymology

From French centrifuge, from Latin centrum (“center”) + fugiō (“to flee”). Equivalent to centri- + -fuge.

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: centrifuge — device for separation of substances
  • Arabic: طَرْد مَرْكَزِيّ (ṭard markaziyy) — device for separation of substances
  • Bulgarian: центрофу́га (centrofúga) — device for separation of substances
  • Catalan: centrifugadora — device for separation of substances
  • Catalan: centrífuga — device for separation of substances
  • Chinese Mandarin: 離心機 /离心机 (líxīnjī) — device for separation of substances
  • Czech: odstředivka — device for separation of substances
  • Danish: centrifuge — device for separation of substances
  • Dutch: centrifuge — device for separation of substances
  • Dutch: droogzwierder — device for separation of substances
  • Esperanto: centrifugilo — device for separation of substances
  • Finnish: linko — device for separation of substances
  • Finnish: sentrifugi — device for separation of substances
  • French: centrifugeuse — device for separation of substances
  • Georgian: ცენტრიფუგა (cenṭripuga) — device for separation of substances
  • German: Zentrifuge — device for separation of substances
  • Greek: φυγόκεντρος (fygókentros) — device for separation of substances
  • Hebrew: צֶנְטְרִיפוּגָה (tzentrifúga) — device for separation of substances
  • Hebrew: סַרְכֶּזֶת (sarkézet) — device for separation of substances
  • Hindi: अपकेंद्रित्र (apkendritra) — device for separation of substances
  • Hungarian: centrifuga — device for separation of substances
  • Ido: centrifugilo — device for separation of substances
  • Indonesian: pemusing — device for separation of substances
  • Irish: lártheifneoir — device for separation of substances
  • Italian: centrifuga — device for separation of substances
  • Japanese: 遠心機 (enshinki) — device for separation of substances
  • Kazakh: үйірткі (üiırtkı) — device for separation of substances
  • Korean: 원심분리기 (wonsimbulligi) — device for separation of substances
  • Korean: 원심기계 (wonsimgigye) — device for separation of substances
  • Korean: 원심기 (wonsimgi) — device for separation of substances
  • Latin: centrifugium — device for separation of substances
  • Norwegian: sentrifuge — device for separation of substances
  • Persian: سانتریفوژ (sântrifuž) — device for separation of substances
  • Polish: centryfuga — device for separation of substances
  • Polish: wirówka — device for separation of substances
  • Portuguese: centrífuga — device for separation of substances
  • Russian: центрифу́га (centrifúga) — device for separation of substances
  • Spanish: centrífuga — device for separation of substances
  • Swedish: centrifug — device for separation of substances
  • Telugu: అపకేంద్ర యంత్రం (apakēndra yantraṁ) — device for separation of substances
  • Thai: เครื่องหมุนเหวี่ยง (krʉ̂ʉang-mǔn-wìiang) — device for separation of substances
  • Turkish: santrifüj — device for separation of substances
  • Turkish: merkezkaç — device for separation of substances
  • Ukrainian: центрифу́га (centryfúha) — device for separation of substances
  • Vietnamese: máy ly tâm — device for separation of substances
  • Vietnamese: máy li tâm — device for separation of substances
  • Welsh: allgyrchydd — device for separation of substances
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使離心 /使离心 (shǐ líxīn) — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Chinese Mandarin: 以離心機分離 /以离心机分离 (yǐ líxīnjī fēnlí) — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Czech: odstředit — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Danish: centrifugere — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Dutch: centrifugeren — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Finnish: lingota — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • French: centrifuger — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • German: zentrifugieren — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Hungarian: centrifugál — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Hungarian: pörget — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Hungarian: kipörget — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Italian: centrifugare — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Japanese: ...を遠心機にかけて分離する — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Norwegian: sentrifugere — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Portuguese: centrifugar — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Spanish: centrifugar — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Swedish: centrifugera — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
  • Welsh: allgyrchu — to rotate something in a centrifuge in order to separate its constituents
Real reading context

centrifuge in complete knowledge articles