1
: a salt or ester of sulfuric acid
2
: a divalent group or anion SO4 characteristic of sulfuric acid and the sulfates
Examples of sulfate in a Sentence
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Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
Unlike regular shampoos, curl-specific formulas focus on hydration, gentle cleansing, and curl retention while avoiding harsh sulfates and silicones that can strip moisture.
—Erin Parker, Allure, 22 Jan. 2025
Randy Zellers, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2023
Energizing Scalp Serum for its gentle, sulfate-free formula.
—Rebecca Deczynski, Health, 30 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for sulfate 
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Noun
Quantities of sulfate in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica dating to about 2910 BC suggested that this cooling followed a volcanic eruption, scientists reported January 16 in the journal Antiquity.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
Unlike regular shampoos, curl-specific formulas focus on hydration, gentle cleansing, and curl retention while avoiding harsh sulfates and silicones that can strip moisture.
—Erin Parker, Allure, 22 Jan. 2025
Verb
When the battery overheats, the water in the sulfuric acid solution within its case will boil and escape, leaving dry lead plates behind, which sulfate and lose their capacity.
—Randy Zellers, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2023
Energizing Scalp Serum for its gentle, sulfate-free formula.
—Rebecca Deczynski, Health, 30 Jan. 2023
See all Example Sentences for sulfate
Dictionary Entries Near sulfate
Cite this Entry
“Sulfate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sulfate. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
sulfate
2 of 2 transitive verb
variants
or chiefly British sulphate
sulfated or chiefly British sulphated; sulfating or chiefly British sulphating
: to treat or combine with sulfuric acid or a sulfate
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