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Synonyms

lactate

1 American  
[lak-teyt] / ˈlæk teɪt /

verb (used without object)

lactated, lactating

  1. to produce milk.

lactate 2 American  
[lak-teyt] / ˈlæk teɪt /

noun

Chemistry.

  1. an ester or salt of lactic acid.

lactate 1 British  
/ ˈlækteɪt /

verb

  1. (intr) (of mammals) to produce or secrete milk

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
lactate 2 British  
/ ˈlækteɪt /

noun

  1. an ester or salt of lactic acid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
lactate Scientific  
/ lăk′tāt′ /

  1. A salt or ester of lactic acid. Lactate is a product of fermentation and is produced during cellular respiration as glucose is broken down.

Etymology

Origin of lactate1

1885–90; < Latin lactātus, past participle of lactāre to suckle. See lact-, -ate 1

Origin of lactate2

First recorded in 1785–95; lact(ic acid) + -ate 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He tailors his training to meet a targeted exertional threshold and monitors his lactate levels with pinprick blood tests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 11, 2025

The study tracked the heart rate, oxygen uptake and blood lactate levels of professional drummers in rehearsals and during live shows, the outlet said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2025

Precisely when in prehistory mammals began to lactate, no one yet knows.

From Slate • Aug. 13, 2024

The dilution of the labeled lactate and glucose by incoming, unlabeled dietary glucose allowed them to establish the kinetics, that is, the appearance, disappearance and clearance of blood lactate and glucose.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2024

Calcium lactate is perhaps the best salt to administer, in doses of 0.25 gm.

From Disturbances of the Heart by Osborne, Oliver T. (Oliver Thomas)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.