catalyze

verb

cat·​a·​lyze ˈka-tə-ˌlīz 

catalyzed; catalyzing

transitive verb

1

: to bring about the catalysis of (a chemical reaction)

an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of the sugars

2

: bring about, inspire

his vigorous efforts to catalyze us into activity

—Harrison Brown

3

: to alter significantly by or as if by catalysis

innovations in basic chemical theory that have catalyzed the field

—Newsweek

catalyzer noun

Synonyms

• beget
• breed
• bring
• bring about
• bring on
• cause
• create
• do
• draw on
• effect
• effectuate
• engender
• generate
• induce
• invoke
• make
• occasion
• produce
• prompt
• result (in)
• spawn
• translate (into)
• work
• yield

Examples of catalyze in a Sentence

a reinstitution of the draft would catalyze protests around the country

Recent Examples on the Web

Big tax cuts and even larger budget deficits, high tariffs, and severe tightening of the labor market because of major immigrant deportations (or even the fear of them) are likely to catalyze higher inflation. —Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025

This incident catalyzed Madhvani’s exploration of colonial identity and historical narrative. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025

This experience catalyzed my transition from chemistry to applied machine learning at Cambridge, where collaboration with physicists and computer scientists revealed how each field's analytical tools could transform others. —William Purvis, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

By signaling the national security importance of those technologies, an SWF would catalyze additional private investment toward areas of critical innovation and the supply chains that secure them. —Steve Bowsher, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see catalysis

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for catalyze

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

catalyze

verb

cat·​a·​lyze ˈkat-ᵊl-ˌīz 

catalyzed; catalyzing

: to bring about or produce by chemical catalysis

Medical Definition

catalyze

transitive verb

cat·​a·​lyze

variants or British catalyse

ˈkat-ᵊl-ˌīz 

catalyzed or British catalysed; catalyzing or British catalysing

: to bring about the catalysis of (a chemical reaction)

catalyzer noun

or British catalyser