| English verb: debase | |||
| 1. | debase (social) corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality | ||
| Samples | Debauch the young people with wine and women. Socrates was accused of corrupting young men. Do school counselors subvert young children?. Corrupt the morals. | ||
| Synonyms | corrupt, debauch, demoralise, demoralize, deprave, misdirect, pervert, profane, subvert, vitiate | ||
| Pattern of use | Somebody ----s somebody. Something ----s somebody | ||
| Broader (hypernym) | alter, change, modify | ||
| Narrower (hyponym) | bastardise, bastardize, carnalise, carnalize, infect, lead astray, lead off, poison, sensualise, sensualize, suborn | ||
| 2. | debase (change) lower in value by increasing the base-metal content | ||
| Synonyms | alloy | ||
| Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
| Broader (hypernym) | devalue | ||
| Domain category | metallurgy | ||
| 3. | debase (change) corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones | ||
| Samples | Adulterate liquor. | ||
| Synonyms | adulterate, dilute, load, stretch | ||
| Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
| Broader (hypernym) | corrupt, spoil | ||
| Narrower (hyponym) | doctor, doctor up, sophisticate, water down | ||
| Verb group | extend, stretch | ||