Synonyms

purify

American

[pyoor-uh-fahy] / ˈpyʊər əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to make pure; free from anything that debases, pollutes, adulterates, or contaminates.

to purify metals.
to free from foreign, extraneous, or objectionable elements.

to purify a language.
to free from guilt or evil.
to clear or purge (usually followed by of orfrom ).
to make clean for ceremonial or ritual use.

verb (used without object)

to become pure.

purify British

/ ˈpjʊərɪˌfaɪ, ˈpjʊərɪfɪˌkeɪtərɪ /

verb

to free (something) of extraneous, contaminating, or debasing matter
(tr) to free (a person, etc) from sin or guilt
(tr) to make clean, as in a ritual, esp the churching of women after childbirth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of purify

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English purifien, from Middle French purifier, from Latin pūrificāre; see pure, -ify

Explanation

To purify something is to remove dirt, chemicals, or anything else that it's contaminated with. You might decide to purify your tap water if it tastes like chlorine. While scientists purify various chemicals during experiments, the substance that people most often purify is water. Water needs to be treated before it's safe to drink, and cities purify the water they send out to people's houses. You can also use the verb purify in a figurative way, to mean "make ritually or religiously clean or pure." This is the word's earliest meaning, from the Latin root purificare, "to make pure."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Studies after that conflict concluded the damage hampered efforts to purify water and contributed to infant mortality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Ice masters look at the PH levels of the water and purify it to remove minerals and impurities.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

The punishments were made after a "systematic review" and were needed "to enforce industry discipline, purify the football environment, and maintain fair competition", the CFA wrote on its official social media account Thursday.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

The pool’s mechanical room looks like the boiler room of an ocean liner — with giant tanks that purify pool water and another system that stabilizes the temperature.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2025

I’m furious, unable to explain I already learned fractions and how to purify river water.

From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023