Standard Lemma guide

metabolize

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.

  • /mɪˈtæbəˌlaɪz/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AH0 T AE1 B AH0 L AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To undergo metabolism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To cause a substance to undergo metabolism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To produce a substance using metabolism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To absorb and process as if by metabolism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

produce by metabolism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: metabolise

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μετᾰβολή (metăbolḗ, “change, mutation”) + -ize.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Icelandic: breytast við lífræn efnaskipti — (intransitive) to undergo metabolism
  • Portuguese: metabolizar — (intransitive) to undergo metabolism
  • Russian: метаболизироваться (metabolizirovatʹsja) — (intransitive) to undergo metabolism
  • Arabic: أَيَّضَ (ʔayyaḍa) — to cause a substance to undergo metabolism
  • Esperanto: metaboliĝi — to cause a substance to undergo metabolism
  • Arabic: أَيَّضَ (ʔayyaḍa) — to produce a substance using metabolism