galvanize
verb/ˈɡælvənaɪz/
/ˈɡælvənaɪz/
(British English also galvanise)
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they galvanize | /ˈɡælvənaɪz/ /ˈɡælvənaɪz/ |
| he / she / it galvanizes | /ˈɡælvənaɪzɪz/ /ˈɡælvənaɪzɪz/ |
| past simple galvanized | /ˈɡælvənaɪzd/ /ˈɡælvənaɪzd/ |
| past participle galvanized | /ˈɡælvənaɪzd/ /ˈɡælvənaɪzd/ |
| -ing form galvanizing | /ˈɡælvənaɪzɪŋ/ /ˈɡælvənaɪzɪŋ/ |
- to make somebody take action by shocking them or by making them excited
- The win galvanized the whole team.
- galvanize somebody into (doing) something The urgency of his voice galvanized them into action.
- galvanize somebody to do something We need new approaches that will galvanize the industry to deal with its problems.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- galvanize something (specialist) to cover metal with zinc in order to protect it from rust
- a galvanized bucket
- galvanized steel
Word Originearly 19th cent. (in the sense ‘stimulate by electricity’): from French galvaniser, named after Luigi Galvani (1737-98), the Italian anatomist.
Check pronunciation:
galvanize