What does metabolizing mean?
Metabolizing means undergoing the chemical processes that convert food, drugs, or other substances into forms the body or another organism can use. The term is especially common in biology, medicine, nutrition, and exercise science. A person who is metabolizing carbohydrates, for example, is breaking them down into glucose and converting them into energy or storing some of it for later use. In pharmacology, "metabolizing a drug" can mean chemically transforming it, often in the liver, so that it can be excreted or altered in activity. The word is more precise than the general verb "processing": it specifically refers to biochemical transformation associated with metabolism. It is also used more broadly for organisms that metabolize energy sources, such as plants metabolizing sunlight through photosynthesis.
verbTo undergo the chemical processes by which the body or an organism converts substances into energy or usable compounds. It can also mean to process or transform a substance metabolically.
- To undergo the biological processes of metabolism.
- To process a substance by metabolic conversion.
- To transform or use energy through metabolic processes.
"The liver helps metabolize alcohol and other toxins."
"Athletes metabolize carbohydrates efficiently during prolonged exercise."
"Some medications are metabolized by the liver before they leave the body."
Every time your body metabolizes food, it is performing a complex chemical conversion that keeps your cells supplied with usable energy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does metabolizing come from?
The word comes from the Greek metabolē, meaning "change" or "transformation," and the suffix -ize, which forms verbs meaning "to make" or "to transform." The related English noun "metabolism" was developed in the 19th century from the same Greek root. The Greek word itself is associated with the concept of biological change, while the modern English form is especially established in biological and biochemical contexts.
Related word forms
How metabolizing is actually used
Usually used in scientific, medical, or nutritional contexts. In general usage, it often appears as the present participle in phrases such as "metabolizing nutrients" rather than as a standalone verb.