Meaning & use
moisturise or moisturize
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To put a cream or lotion on your skin so that it becomes softer and less dry.
Grammar: Takes an object: moisturize your hands. It is rarely used without one, though 'I moisturize every morning' is fine when the skin is understood.
Patterns
- moisturize something
- moisturize your skin/face/hands
- moisturize after something
- moisturize every day
She moisturizes her face every night before bed.
After a long flight, my skin felt tight, so I moisturized it with a rich cream.
Dermatologists often tell patients to moisturize their hands after washing them.
verbtransitivetechnical
To add a small amount of water or oil to something so it does not dry out.
Grammar: Takes an object; common in instructions about hair, leather, wood and similar materials.
Patterns
- moisturize something
- moisturize the hair/leather
- moisturize something with something
This conditioner moisturizes dry hair without making it heavy.
Clean the leather, then moisturize it with a little oil.
The cream is designed to moisturize the skin around the eyes.
Word forms
| third person singular | moisturizes |
|---|---|
| past tense | moisturized |
| past participle | moisturized |
| -ing form | moisturizing |
| British spelling | moisturises |
Common combinations
- moisturize your skin
- You should moisturize your skin after a shower.
- moisturize daily
- If your skin is very dry, moisturize daily.
- gently moisturize
- She gently moisturized the area around the scar.
- moisturize with lotion
- He moisturized with lotion every morning.
- a moisturizing cream
- This moisturizing cream is good for sensitive skin.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hydrate
- Used especially in beauty writing about adding water to the skin; it sounds more scientific than moisturize.
- soften
- Focuses on the result of making skin smooth rather than on adding moisture.
- condition
- Common for hair and leather, where it means treating something to keep it in good condition.
Opposites
Word family
- moisture noun
- Small amounts of water in the air or on a surface.
- moisturizer noun
- A cream or lotion you put on your skin.
- moisturizing adjective
- Describing a product that adds moisture to the skin.
- moist adjective
- Slightly wet, often in a way that is not pleasant.
Commonly confused: moisturise or moisturize or moisturizer? moisturise or moisturize or moist?
moisturise or moisturize vs moisturizer
This is the noun for the product; the verb is moisturize. Say 'I use a moisturizer' but 'I moisturize my face'.
moisturise or moisturize vs moist
An adjective meaning slightly wet; it describes how something feels, not what you do to your skin.
Practice
Which sentence uses the verb correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Moisturize' is the verb and follows 'I' in the simple present: I moisturize my face every night. Option 1 uses the noun 'moisturizer', option 3 uses the -ing form without 'am', and option 4 uses the third-person ending with the wrong subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moisturise or moisturize”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.