lubricate
verb
lu·bri·cate ˈlü-brə-ˌkāt 
lubricated; lubricating
transitive verb
1
: to make smooth or slippery
2
: to apply a lubricant to
intransitive verb
: to act as a lubricant
lubrication
ˌlü-brə-ˈkā-shən
noun lubricative
ˈlü-brə-ˌkā-tiv
adjective lubricator
ˈlü-brə-ˌkā-tər
noun 
Synonyms
- grease
- oil
- slick
- wax
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
it's not a good idea to use olive oil to lubricate the gears in an appliance
Recent Examples on the Web One way to soften the sound and feel of a keyboard is to open up the switches and meticulously lubricate their miniature moving parts. 
David Owen, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022 The formulation of ingredients works to cushion and lubricate the joints while also supporting greater flexibility and ease of movement. The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 But despite alternative explanations—maybe the movements lubricate the closed eye or arise from random brain activity—the scanning hypothesis remains popular. Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2022 White lithium grease helps lubricate the pin while preventing rust from forming on the metal. Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022 Rosoff is usually around to lubricate such discussions with choice Riojas, a Grenache blend ripe with dark fruits or a bright, summery Listan Blanco from the Canary Islands. Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 This upward movement would lubricate the base of the ice and accelerate its flow. Katie Hunt, CNN, 5 May 2022 The thumb is a transit system, helping to lubricate scales, arpeggios, passages of all kinds. Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 6 Apr. 2022 It’s produced by skin glands located on the outer half of your ear canals to lubricate your ears and prevent dust and other particles from entering your eardrum, according to the Mayo Clinic. Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 30 Mar. 2022 See More
David Owen, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022 The formulation of ingredients works to cushion and lubricate the joints while also supporting greater flexibility and ease of movement. The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 But despite alternative explanations—maybe the movements lubricate the closed eye or arise from random brain activity—the scanning hypothesis remains popular. Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2022 White lithium grease helps lubricate the pin while preventing rust from forming on the metal. Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022 Rosoff is usually around to lubricate such discussions with choice Riojas, a Grenache blend ripe with dark fruits or a bright, summery Listan Blanco from the Canary Islands. Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 This upward movement would lubricate the base of the ice and accelerate its flow. Katie Hunt, CNN, 5 May 2022 The thumb is a transit system, helping to lubricate scales, arpeggios, passages of all kinds. Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 6 Apr. 2022 It’s produced by skin glands located on the outer half of your ear canals to lubricate your ears and prevent dust and other particles from entering your eardrum, according to the Mayo Clinic. Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 30 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin lūbricātus, past participle of lūbricāre "to make slippery," derivative of lūbricus "slippery, hard to hold, liable to lead to false steps, hazardous" — more at sleeve
First Known Use
circa 1623, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
lubricate
verb
lu·bri·cate ˈlü-brə-ˌkāt
lubricated; lubricating
: to apply oil or grease to in order to make smooth or slippery
Mechanics lubricated the gears.
Medical Definition
lubricate
transitive verb
lu·bri·cate ˈlü-bri-ˌkāt
lubricated; lubricating
: to make smooth, slippery, or oily in motion, action, or appearance
lubricate the eye
lubricate the skin
lubricates
verb
as in greases
to coat (something) with a slippery substance in order to reduce friction used a petroleum based machine oil to lubricate the gears Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- greases
- oils
- waxes
- wets
- washes
- soaks
- bathes
- slicks
- drenches
- waters
- douses
- souses
- dowses
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- coarsens
- roughens
- dries
- dehydrates
- roughs
- sears
- parches
- hard stone
- hard tick
- hard ticket
- hard time
- hard to overemphasize
- hard to take
- hard tussock
- hard up
- hard wall plaster
- hard waste
- hard wheat
- hard-and-fast
- hard-ass
- hard-assed
- hard-bark hickory
- hard-bill
- hard-bitten
- hard-boil
- hard-boiled
- hard-boiledness
- hard-boiling
- hard-boils
- hard-burned brick
- hard-charging
- hard-coated