magnetize

[mag-ni-tahyz] /ˈmæg nɪˌtaɪz/
verb (used with object), magnetized, magnetizing.
1.
to make a magnet of or impart the properties of a magnet to.
2.
to exert an attracting or compelling influence upon:
The evangelist's oratory magnetized his listeners.
3.
Archaic. to mesmerize.
Also, especially British, magnetise.
Origin
1775-85; magnet + -ize
Related forms
magnetizer, noun
nonmagnetized, adjective
remagnetize, verb (used with object), remagnetized, remagnetizing.
unmagnetized, adjective
Examples from the web for magnetize
  • If you want to completely demagnetize something, you usually have to completely magnetize it first, and then take it back to zero.
  • Powerful magnets magnetize the pipe wall to saturation.
  • His personal influence has been able to magnetize a half-dying body into new and active life.
British Dictionary definitions for magnetize

magnetize

/ˈmæɡnɪˌtaɪz/
verb (transitive)
1.
to make (a substance or object) magnetic
2.
to attract strongly
3.
an obsolete word for mesmerize
Derived Forms
magnetizable, magnetisable, adjective
magnetization, magnetisation, noun
magnetizer, magnetiser, noun
Word Origin and History for magnetize
v.

1799, from magnet + -ize. Related: Magnetized; magnetizing. From 1785 in now-obsolete sense of "to mesmerize."

magnetize in Science
magnetize
  (māg'nĭ-tīz')   
To cause an object to become temporarily or permanently magnetic. For example, an unmagnetized object made of ferromagnetic material consists of molecules that are magnetic but randomly aligned, producing no net magnetic field; exposure to a magnetic field causes the molecules to align themselves with the field, producing their own net field, so that the object as a whole becomes magnetized.