plural nitrates
1
: a salt or ester of nitric acid
2
: sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate used as a fertilizer
3
: any of several nitric-acid esters of cellulose : nitrocellulose
especially
: a product (such as celluloid film) made from cellulose nitrate
In the case of the Clark Gable Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), the nitrate original was destroyed before anyone noticed the transferred soundtrack was out of sync. —
Roy Hemming
Roy Hemming Examples of nitrate in a Sentence
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Those impurities can include nitrate (used for fertilizers), disinfection byproducts, arsenic, or per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, also called PFAS, Stoiber said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Other pollutants that alarmed the EWG researchers were volatile organic compounds, like trichloroethylene (TCE), nitrates, heavy metals like arsenic and disinfection byproducts.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 26 Feb. 2025
Environmental justice and drinking water quality: are there socioeconomic disparities in nitrate levels in U.S. drinking water?
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
Drinking nitrate contaminated water is linked to birth defects and several types of cancers, the group said.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for nitrate
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Kristen Rogers, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
Other pollutants that alarmed the EWG researchers were volatile organic compounds, like trichloroethylene (TCE), nitrates, heavy metals like arsenic and disinfection byproducts.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 26 Feb. 2025
Environmental justice and drinking water quality: are there socioeconomic disparities in nitrate levels in U.S. drinking water?
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
Drinking nitrate contaminated water is linked to birth defects and several types of cancers, the group said.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for nitrate
Cite this Entry
“Nitrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitrate. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nitrate
noun
ni·trate
ˈnī-ˌtrāt 
-trət
1
: a chemical compound formed by the reaction of nitric acid with another substance
2
: nitrate of sodium or potassium used as a fertilizer
Medical Definition
nitrate
noun
ni·trate
ˈnī-ˌtrāt, -trət
: a salt or ester of nitric acid
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