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Definition of "metabolize" []

  • To subject (a substance) to metabolism. (verb-transitive)
  • To produce (a substance) by metabolism. (verb-transitive)
  • To undergo change by metabolism. (verb-intransitive)

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.

Use "metabolize" in a sentence
  • "If we can't simply get rid of the poison out of one end or the other (yes Mrs. Reidy, I know that's Hardly Dinner Table Conversation), then our liver has to break it down or "metabolize" it into something that's safe for our kidneys and other organs of elimination to process and excrete."
  • "You chose the biological term 'metabolize' instead of 'catalytic function,' just as you chose "respond to stimuli" instead of "light transduction.""
  • "First of all, I'm suspicious of anyone who uses words like "metabolize" and "synthesize.""