phosphate
noun
phos·phate
| \ ˈfäs-ˌfāt
\
\
Definition of phosphate
1a(1)
: a salt or ester of a phosphoric acid
(2)
: the trivalent anion PO43− derived from phosphoric acid H3PO4
b
: an organic compound of phosphoric acid in which the acid group is bound to nitrogen or a carboxyl group in a way that permits useful energy to be released (as in metabolism)
2
: an effervescent drink of carbonated water with a small amount of phosphoric acid flavored with fruit syrup
3
: a phosphatic material used for fertilizers
Examples of phosphate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rock phosphate is 0-5-0 and earth worm castings are 2-1-1. — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "Feed your garden beds now so they’ll be ready for spring," 22 Aug. 2019 On Friday, pallets were stacked high with packing materials and high-grade sodium phosphate inside the chicken processing plant, but the chicken lines were not running. — Richard Fausset, New York Times, "After ICE Raids, the Parking Lot Was Crowded, but No One Was There to Work," 9 Aug. 2019 These include kidney damage from sodium-phosphate laxatives, a perforation during the procedure, a reaction to the sedative and bleeding if a polyp is removed. — Julie Washington, cleveland.com, "Newer guidelines call for colonoscopies 5 years earlier, many insurances cover costs," 28 July 2019 Low levels of phosphate cause a person to develop rickets, bowed legs, as well as tooth abscesses, so those with this condition rarely reach a typical height in adulthood and often experience bone pain. — Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "From lab to pharmacy: IU researchers' discovery leads to new drug to treat rare bone disease," 18 May 2018 But this approach creates an overwhelming set of possible permutations, as each of the three components — sugar, phosphate and base — has numerous potential replacements. — Quanta Magazine, "Chemists Seek Possible Precursor to RNA," 5 Feb. 2014 The Laundress, an eco-friendly line of detergent and home-cleaning products, formulates without ammonia, petroleum, phthalates, phosphates, parabens, formaldehyde, artificial dyes, and chlorine bleach, as well as any other unnecessary additives. — Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, "How to Tell If Your Laundry Detergent Is Messing With Your Skin," 15 June 2019 Picture a ladder that twists like a corkscrew, with the sugar and phosphate acting as the side rails and the base pairs acting as the rungs. — Ryan Rossotto, National Geographic, "DNA, explained," 12 June 2019 Miller, 76, wrote that his levels are down for akaline phosphates, which can indicate problems in the bones or liver, as well as of prostate-specific antigens, which indicate prostate cancer levels. — Pamela Wood, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland Senate President Miller: Health news is 'largely good'," 10 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phosphate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for phosphate
phosphate
noun
English Language Learners Definition of phosphate
chemistry
: a salt or compound that has phosphorus in it and that is used especially in products (called fertilizers) that help plants grow
See the full definition for phosphate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
phosphate
noun
phos·phate
| \ ˈfäs-ˌfāt
\
\
Medical Definition of phosphate
1a
: a salt or ester of a phosphoric acid
b
: the trivalent anion PO43− derived from phosphoric acid H3PO4
2
: an organic compound of phosphoric acid in which the acid group is bound to nitrogen or a carboxyl group in a way that permits useful energy to be released (as in metabolism)
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