irradiate

Word family

Related topics: Power, Food

ir·ra·di·ate /ɪˈreɪdieɪt/ verb [transitiveT]

1. technicalTPDF if someone or something is irradiated, X-rays or radioactive beams are passed through them 〔用 X 射线或放射线〕照射

2. technical if food is irradiated, it is treated with radiation in order to kill bacteria and make it last longer 用放射线照射〔食物以延长贮存时间〕

3. literaryCCBRIGHT to make something look bright as if a light is shining onto it 照耀；使发光

n Grammar

Irradiate is usually passive.

—irradiation /ɪˌreɪdiˈeɪʃən/ noun [uncountableU]

Examples from the Corpus

irradiate• Of the 79 food companies that responded to the survey, only two will irradiate.• So, molecular fragments, formed by irradiating a precursor, would instantly recombine.• The researchers irradiated all of the tumor cells to render them incapable of spreading once returned to the patients' bodies.• It takes less than a pound of plutonium to irradiate every human being in the world!• In every human body, they insisted, there remains a spark of the Divine Principle which once irradiated its entire being.• Perutz froze the compound into an argon matrix, and irradiated the molecule with light.• Plant breeders know this, and irradiate their seeds in the hope of turning up new and useful forms.• The flies were irradiated to make them sterile.

LDOCE Online

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus

TOEFL BNC: 24681 COCA: 26774

irradiate

Preserve food: bottle, can, cure...