dehydration
C1Formal, Technical, Medical, Everyday
Definition
Meaning
The process of losing too much water from the body.
The removal of water from a substance, such as food, chemicals, or air; the state of being excessively dry.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily denotes a negative, harmful state for living organisms, but a neutral or intended process in chemistry/food science.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major lexical differences. Pronunciation differs slightly (see IPA).
Connotations
Identical. Strongly associated with medical risk and outdoor/sports safety.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties, with high frequency in medical/health contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
dehydration of [SUBSTANCE][PERSON/ANIMAL] suffers from dehydration[ACTIVITY/ILLNESS] causes dehydrationVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms for this noun]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in specific industries like food processing or sports drinks marketing.
Academic
Common in medical, biological, chemical, and environmental science papers.
Everyday
Common in health advice, weather reports (low humidity), and parenting contexts.
Technical
Standard term in medicine, chemistry (e.g., dehydration reactions), and food preservation.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- You can quickly dehydrate in this heat if you don't drink plenty.
- The expedition was called off after two climbers became dangerously dehydrated.
American English
- This illness will dehydrate you fast, so keep sipping fluids.
- Dehydrated fruits are a popular snack for hiking.
adverb
British English
- [No direct adverb form; 'dehydratingly' is extremely rare and unnatural]
American English
- [No direct adverb form; 'dehydratingly' is extremely rare and unnatural]
adjective
British English
- He was found in a severely dehydrated state.
- Use this cream for dehydrated skin.
American English
- The dehydrated patient needed an IV drip immediately.
- We bought dehydrated camping meals for the trip.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Drink water to avoid dehydration.
- The sun can cause dehydration.
- Symptoms of dehydration include a dry mouth and feeling dizzy.
- Athletes must be careful not to become dehydrated during long matches.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'DE-HYDRATION' as taking the 'HYDRA' (water) OUT (de-) of a situation, leaving you dry.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE BODY IS A CONTAINER OF FLUID (losing fluid is dangerous emptiness).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid literal translation from constructions like 'обезвоживание организма' – in English, it's typically just 'dehydration' or 'dehydration of the body', not '*dehydration of organism'.
Common Mistakes
- Mispronouncing as */de.hi.draɪ.ʃən/ (wrong stress).
- Confusing with 'thirst' (a symptom, not the medical condition).
- Using 'dehydrate' as a noun (*'I have a dehydrate').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is NOT a typical context for the word 'dehydration'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While most common for people/animals, it also applies to plants, foods (dehydrated fruit), and chemical processes.
They are synonyms, but 'desiccation' is more technical/scientific (e.g., soil desiccation) and less used for human medical conditions.
For the human body, no—it's always a harmful state. In chemistry or food preservation, it is a neutral descriptive term for water removal.
Hydration' (adding water) or more specifically 'rehydration' (restoring lost water).