Standard Lemma guide

dehydrate

verb · 5 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /diːhaɪˈdɹeɪt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /diːˈhaɪdɹeɪt/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌdihaɪˈdɹeɪt/
  • Canada, General-American: /diˈhaɪdɹeɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /diːhɑɪˈdɹæɪt/
  • Australian: /diːˈhɑɪdɹæɪt/
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 HH AY1 D R EY0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To remove water from; to dry up.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • dehydrate food
  • Running in the heat can quickly dehydrate you.
  • The fruit was dehydrated and packed for storage.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To lose water from one's body; to become dehydrated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • dehydrate rapidly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

lose water or moisture

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • In the desert, you get dehydrated very quickly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: exsiccate, dry up, desiccate

Antonyms: hydrate

Broader terms: dry, dry out

4

verb

Meaning 4

remove water from

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • All this exercise and sweating has dehydrated me

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: desiccate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: dry, dry out

5

verb

Meaning 5

preserve by removing all water and liquids from

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • carry dehydrated food on your camping trip

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: desiccate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: preserve, keep

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h1 Proto-Indo-European *déh1 Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Hellenic *údōr Ancient Greek ῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr) Ancient Greek ὑδρο- (hudro-)lbor. French hydr- Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh2tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātuslbor. French -ate French hydratebor. English hydrate English dehydrate From de- + hydrate.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: deshidratar — to lose or remove water
  • Czech: dehydrovat — to lose or remove water
  • Danish: dehydrere — to lose or remove water
  • Dutch: dehydrateren — to lose or remove water
  • Finnish: kuivata — to lose or remove water
  • Finnish: kuivattaa — to lose or remove water
  • Finnish: poistaa vesi — to lose or remove water
  • French: déshydrater — to lose or remove water
  • Galician: deshidratar — to lose or remove water
  • German: dehydrieren — to lose or remove water
  • Indonesian: mendehidrasi — to lose or remove water
  • Italian: disidratare — to lose or remove water
  • Japanese: 脱水する (dassui suru) — to lose or remove water
  • Kazakh: сусыздандыру (susyzdandyru) — to lose or remove water
  • Manx: jee-ushtaghey — to lose or remove water
  • Māori: whakamaroke — to lose or remove water
  • Māori: tauraki — to lose or remove water
  • Māori: whakatārehe — to lose or remove water
  • Marathi: निर्जल करणे (nirjal karṇe) — to lose or remove water
  • Marathi: निर्जल होणे (nirjal hoṇe) — to lose or remove water
  • Polish: odwodnić — to lose or remove water
  • Polish: odwadniać — to lose or remove water
  • Portuguese: desidratar — to lose or remove water
  • Romanian: deshidrata — to lose or remove water
  • Russian: обезво́живать (obezvóživatʹ) — to lose or remove water
  • Russian: обезво́дить (obezvóditʹ) — to lose or remove water
  • Russian: дегидрати́ровать (degidratírovatʹ) — to lose or remove water
  • Spanish: deshidratar — to lose or remove water
  • Swedish: torka ut — to lose or remove water
  • Tagalog: patuyuin — to lose or remove water
  • Tibetan: ཞ་རློན་འཐེན (zha rlon 'then) — to lose or remove water
  • Turkish: kurumak — to lose or remove water
  • Ottoman Turkish: قورومق (kurumak) — to lose or remove water
  • Welsh: dadhydradu — to lose or remove water