fluoridate

English

Etymology

Back-formation from fluoridation, equivalent to fluoride +‎ -ate.

Verb

fluoridate (third-person singular simple present fluoridates, present participle fluoridating, simple past and past participle fluoridated)

1. (chemistry, dentistry, transitive) To add fluoride to something, especially to drinking water in order to reduce tooth decay.

   Synonym: fluoridize

   • 2025 March 28, “Utah becomes the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water”, in CNN‎, sourced from Associated Press:

     Out of the 484 Utah water systems that reported data in 2024, only 66 fluoridated their water, an Associated Press analysis showed. The largest was the state’s biggest city, Salt Lake City.

   • 2025 March 29, Nadine Yousif, “Utah becomes first US state to ban fluoride in its water”, in BBC‎:

     In England, about one in 10 people has fluoridated drinking water, though a programme has since been introduced to fluoridate water for 1.6 million people in north-east England.

Derived terms

• defluoridated
• fluoridator
• unfluoridated

Related terms

• fluoridation
• fluoridization
• fluorinate
• fluorination