Definition of "ionize" [ionize•i•on•ize]

• To convert or be converted totally or partially into ions. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It uses radio waves to ionize a propellant and magnetic fields to accelerate the resulting plasma to generate thrust.en. wikipedia.org/wiki/VASIMR"
• "Cell phones don't emit energy great enough to ionize molecules in living cells."
• "According to textbook biophysics, only radiation that has enough energy to ionize molecules — that is, knock off electrons — can trigger cancer."