baptize

verb

bap·​tize bap-ˈtīz 

ˈbap-ˌtīz,

 especially Southern  bab-ˈtīz,

 or  ˈbab-ˌtīz

variants or less commonly baptise

baptized also baptised; baptizing also baptising

transitive verb

1

religion : to administer baptism (see baptism sense 1) to

baptize a child in the Episcopal Church

was baptized a Catholic as an infant

2

a

: to purify or cleanse spiritually especially by a purging (see purge entry 1 sense 1) experience or ordeal

… baptized with pain and rapture, tears and fire …

—Sidney Lanier

b

: initiate

Both developments were baptized under last season's conditions of scanty snow …

—New York Times

3

: to give a name to (as at baptism) : christen

Theybaptized their son "John" after the baby's grandfather.

intransitive verb

: to administer baptism

baptizer noun

Synonyms

• call
• christen
• clepe [archaic]
• denominate
• designate
• dub
• entitle
• label
• name
• nominate
• style
• term
• title

Examples of baptize in a Sentence

The priest baptized the baby.

She was baptized at the age of 20.

Recent Examples on the Web

He was baptized and confirmed by Stephan at St. Gertrude’s. —Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 24 July 2024

After opening up the season with four games against the Mariners in Seattle, the A’s will play their first regular-season game in Sacramento on March 31 against the Chicago Cubs, officially baptizing Sutter Health Park as a major-league stadium. —Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 19 July 2024

In 2020, Vance, who had recently been baptized and confirmed as a Catholic, published an essay in the Catholic journal The Lamp about how his grandmother influenced his decision to convert. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2024

The campaign Vance’s Catholic conversion is part of young conservative movement JD Vance, the senator from Ohio who is now the GOP’s vice-presidential nominee, was baptized Catholic in 2019 after being raised nominally evangelical and then dabbling with atheism. —Alec Dent, Washington Post, 29 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French baptiser, from Late Latin baptizare, from Greek baptizein to dip, baptize, from baptein to dip, dye; akin to Old Norse kvefja to quench

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

baptize

verb

bap·​tize bap-ˈtīz 

ˈbap-ˌtīz

baptized; baptizing

1

: to dip in water or sprinkle water on as a part of the ceremony of receiving into the Christian church

2

a

: to make pure in spirit (as by a painful experience)

b

: initiate entry 1 sense 3

3

: to give a name to (as in the ceremony of baptism) : christen

baptizer noun