galvanize
verb
Did you know?
Luigi Galvani was an Italian physician and physicist who, in the 1770s, studied the electrical nature of nerve impulses by applying electrical stimulation to frogs’ leg muscles, causing them to contract. Although Galvani’s theory that animal tissue contained an innate electrical impulse was disproven, the French word galvanisme came to refer to a current of electricity especially when produced by chemical action, while the verb galvaniser was used for the action of applying such a current (both words were apparently coined by German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who modeled them after the French equivalents of magnetism and magnetize). In English, these words came to life as galvanism and galvanize, respectively. Today their primary senses are figurative: to galvanize a person or group is to spur them into action as if they’ve been jolted with electricity.
Examples of galvanize in a Sentence
Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
Reagan’s vision, while clearly technically infeasible at the time, galvanized an entire generation of young minds to pursue careers at the intersection of science, technology and national security.
—Paul Lipman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
In the aftermath, Byrne’s murder galvanized tough-on-crime momentum at the height of the crack years, contributing to a surge of federal funding for more cops.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 8 July 2025
Colorado has not seen the type of workplace raids that galvanized protests -- and a subsequent military response -- in Los Angeles last month.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for galvanize
Cite this Entry
“Galvanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galvanize. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
galvanize
verb
Medical Definition
galvanize
transitive verb
Share