Lubricate

//ˈluːbrɪkeɪt// verb

verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To make slippery or smooth (normally to minimize friction) by applying a lubricant.

    "If your bicycle chain is squeaking you should lubricate it."

  2. 2
    make slippery or smooth through the application of a lubricant wordnet
  3. 3
    To cause someone to become drunk, especially to make them more sociable or talkative. humorous

    "They listened with wonder and pride at their album as it played several times throughout the afternoon, with Cosmo lubricating them with beer and whiskey."

  4. 4
    apply a lubricant to wordnet
  5. 5
    have lubricating properties wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
lubeaidanointbeeswaxbribebuy

Example

More examples

"Before putting the cables in, I lubricate the tube."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lūbricātus, perfect passive participle of lūbricō (“make slippery”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more), from lūbricus (“slippery”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.