Meaning & use
centrifuge
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A machine that spins a container quickly to separate liquids or solids of different weights.
Grammar: Regular plural: centrifuges. Often used with 'in' or 'using': 'separate in a centrifuge'.
Patterns
- a centrifuge
- in a centrifuge
- use a centrifuge
The lab technician put the blood samples in a centrifuge.
A centrifuge separates cream from milk by spinning it.
They bought a new centrifuge for the research lab.
verbtransitive
To spin a sample in a centrifuge in order to separate its parts.
Grammar: Takes an object: centrifuge the sample. Less common than the noun.
Patterns
- centrifuge something
- centrifuge a sample
The nurse centrifuged the blood before testing it.
Centrifuge the mixture for five minutes to separate the layers.
Word forms
| plural | centrifuges |
|---|---|
| third person singular | centrifuges |
| past tense | centrifuged |
| past participle | centrifuged |
| -ing form | centrifuging |
Common combinations
- blood centrifuge
- The blood centrifuge is used to separate plasma from cells.
- laboratory centrifuge
- A laboratory centrifuge can spin at very high speeds.
- put something in a centrifuge
- Put the tubes in the centrifuge and close the lid.
- centrifuge tube
- Each sample was placed in a labeled centrifuge tube.
Synonyms and how they differ
- separator
- Separator is a general word for any device that separates things; centrifuge is the specific spinning machine.
Word family
- centrifugal adjective
- Describing a force that moves things away from the center of a spinning object.
- centrifugation noun
- The process of spinning a sample in a centrifuge.
Commonly confused: centrifuge or centripetal?
centrifuge vs centripetal
Centripetal describes a force that pulls things toward the center, while centrifugal (and centrifuge) relates to moving away from the center.
Practice
The scientist used a ______ to separate the red blood cells from the plasma.
Choose one answer.
A centrifuge is the machine that spins samples to separate them. 'Centripetal' and 'centrifugal' are adjectives describing forces, not machines. 'Centigrade' is a temperature scale.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “centrifuge”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.