Home UK English galvanize

Meaning of galvanize in English:

galvanize

(British galvanise)

Pronunciation /ˈɡalvənʌɪz/

See synonyms for galvanize

Translate galvanize into Spanish

verb

[with object]

  • 1Shock or excite (someone) into taking action.

    ‘the urgency of his voice galvanized them into action’
    • ‘No sense of shock galvanizes the audience when we witness the details of her murder before he learns of it.’
    • ‘As your job in the United Nations Humanitarian Agency, it's your job to galvanize the people, to get their attention, to get them to take the money out of their pocket.’
    • ‘She could provide the required political leadership to galvanize her people, being the daughter of Indonesia's founding father.’
    • ‘Frustration, disillusionment and above all a fear of the future began to galvanize people to write, question and think as they had not done before.’
    • ‘Tales of ecological woe, no matter how well-founded in science, rarely galvanize people to action.’
    • ‘He is hoping that going public will galvanize his fellow citizens.’
    • ‘His genius though, is not only to mount a popular critique of industrial agriculture which resonates around the world, but to move on and build a viable, attractive alternative that galvanises people.’
    • ‘To attempt to land troops in Venezuela would have galvanised the people of South America against the invaders, which would have been bad for its image and worse for its geopolitics.’
    • ‘This is a pretty unsexy thing to say and is unlikely to galvanise people in the way that a call more ‘strong leaders’ will, but I still think it is a more important aim.’
    • ‘It should galvanise people to participate, to make their views known through the ballot box.’
    • ‘We feel certain that the campaign is helping to galvanise people into action.’
    • ‘In the long run, we pay an even heavier price by galvanizing opponents bent on freeing themselves from what they perceive as elitist disrespect for democratic governance.’
    • ‘It was both a new vehicle to galvanize followers and operating there meant fewer logistical difficulties since it was close by.’
    • ‘The tool that Lady Macbeth uses to galvanize her husband into action is humiliation.’
    • ‘This had the effect of galvanising the visitors, with the ball spinning confidently down the line, pinning the home side briefly back against their line.’
    • ‘It came in 1990, undermining their magnanimity, but also galvanising me and my colleagues into human rights activism.’
    • ‘The privatisation of state universities is galvanising students into action.’
    • ‘He did the same for Ireland, galvanising a middling team into a team that was far greater than the sum of its parts.’
    • ‘A perceived injustice, however real, galvanises him as much as anything that comes out of a bottle.’
    jolt, shock, startle, impel, stir, spur, prod, urge, motivate, stimulate, electrify, excite, rouse, arouse, awaken, invigorate, fire, fuel, animate, vitalize, energize, exhilarate, thrill, dynamize, inspire
    View synonyms

  • 2Coat (iron or steel) with a protective layer of zinc.

    ‘they promised they would galvanize the iron railings to prevent rusting’
    • ‘The primary use of zinc is in galvanizing other metals, especially iron and steel.’
    • ‘Zinc is used largely to galvanise iron and steel.’
    • ‘Gutters on older homes may be wood, galvanized sheet metal, or copper.’
    • ‘There are two primary ways that chain-link fabric is galvanized (coated with zinc).’
    • ‘When working with redwood, always use top quality, hot dipped galvanized, stainless steel or aluminum hardware.’
    • ‘The extensively used galvanized steel is durable, economical, and virtually maintenance free.’
    • ‘Steel is galvanized, walls are fairfaced concrete block, and floors are concrete or asphalt.’
    • ‘The floor is redwood, the supporting poles are of galvanized steel covered with split bamboo, and the back wall is covered with reed matting.’
    • ‘As usual in this part of the country, roof coverings are galvanized corrugated steel.’
    • ‘All residential fittings are made from a die cast aluminum or steel that has been galvanized.’
    • ‘All wood components are treated with linen oil and all steel elements are galvanized.’
    • ‘Even though galvanised iron was replacing some of the demand for slate, the quarries could barely keep up the supply.’
    • ‘The desktop is galvanized sheet metal, a material that is handsome and weather-resistant.’
    • ‘The unit is made of heavy galvanised metal and can stay submerged in a river or dam for long periods without any corrosion.’
    • ‘Built of a strong timber-frame and wooden floors, the roofing was galvanized corrugated iron sheeting.’
    • ‘Our medium-duty galvanized trash can is designed to provide years of reliable performance.’
    • ‘Materials which slowly decompose at the temperature of the hot dip galvanising bath are suitable as frothing agents.’
    • ‘In order to achieve the best finish, the article should be designed to fit inside the galvanising bath in a single dip.’
    • ‘The galvanised tubular steel pallet provides the necessary space for ventilation between the tanks and the ground.’
    • ‘Zinc metal used in the galvanizing process provides an impervious barrier between the steel substrate and corrosive elements in the atmosphere.’

noun

mass noundialect West Indian

  • Galvanized steel sheeting, typically as used for roofing or fencing.

    ‘the rain was beating hard against Miss Orilie's galvanize’
    • ‘Five children sitting on a rusty piece of galvanise, under the shade of a mango tree, with their young mother greeted the Prime Minister.’
    • ‘Yesterday morning, residents complained that loose corrugated galvanise sheets left on the building's roof were blowing into the busy street and causing damage.’
    • ‘When you sit in your porch, instead of seeing lovely greenery or properly constructed homes, it's old galvanise, termite-ridden board and dirty looking water drums.’
    • ‘Several pieces of galvanise sheets were strewn along the shore as the battered boats, some of which were overturned, sat atop piles of debris and slush.’
    • ‘The use of alu-zinc or unpainted galvanise is also prohibited whether grant aided or not if planning is required.’

Origin

Early 19th century (in the sense ‘stimulate by electricity’): from French galvaniser (see Galvani, Luigi).