1. to treat (a microorganism or foreign particle) with opsonin to make it more susceptible to phagocytosis
Usage: medical/immunology; transitive verb

Examples

• The immune system opsonizes bacteria by coating them with antibodies.
• Complement proteins opsonize pathogens to enhance their destruction by white blood cells.
• When antibodies opsonize a virus, macrophages can more easily recognize and engulf it.
• The serum was used to opsonize the bacterial samples in the laboratory experiment.
• Opsonized particles are marked for destruction by the body's immune response.