sanitize
Americanverb (used with object)
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sanitizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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sanitized,
past participle, past
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sanitizing
present participle
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to free from dirt, germs, etc., as by cleaning or sterilizing.
-
to make less offensive by eliminating anything unwholesome, objectionable, incriminating, etc..
to sanitize a document before releasing it to the press.
verb
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to make sanitary or hygienic, as by sterilizing
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to omit unpleasant details from (a news report, document, etc) to make it more palatable to the recipients
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sanitizesimple
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sanitizessimple
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have sanitizedperfect
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has sanitizedperfect
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am sanitizingprogressive
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are sanitizingprogressive
-
is sanitizingprogressive
-
have been sanitizingperfect progressive
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has been sanitizingperfect progressive
Past
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sanitizedsimple
-
had sanitizedperfect
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was sanitizingprogressive
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were sanitizingprogressive
-
had been sanitizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sanitize
First recorded in 1830–40; sanit(ary) + -ize
Explanation
To sanitize something is to make it extremely clean. After watching you play with your slobbery dog, your fastidious friend might insist that you sanitize your hands before sitting down to dinner. When you clean or sterilize something, particularly for reasons of good health (like not spreading germs), you can say that you sanitize it. You can also use this verb in a figurative way, whenever you "clean" something: "She doesn't want to risk alienating her audience, so she sanitizes her speech to remove anything that might offend them." The Latin root is sanitas, "health."
Vocabulary lists containing sanitize
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In the face of efforts to erase or sanitize the uncomfortable history of our country, confronting this past is more important than ever.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
“Broadcasters should not feel pressured to water down, sanitize, or avoid critical coverage out of fear of regulatory retaliation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
Ms. Rodríguez, according to sources, siphoned profits through networks of international and domestic businessmen while building PR machinery to sanitize her image.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026
Food processing plants apply it to sanitize surfaces and equipment.
From Salon ● Dec. 15, 2025
“Well, they have to clean the whole car and sanitize everything. We might as well settle in.”
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
“Using a smartphone application sanitizes things and makes it feel like it’s safe and unbiased,” said Ari Sawyer, a border researcher for Human Rights Watch.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024
Episodes emphasize a brightness and zest to overpower the shades of blue written into Lancashire's character, an approach that also sanitizes the battles women like Bradford's Alice Naman had to fight.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2022
It cleans its contaminated sewage with an anaerobic reactor that sanitizes by biological means.
From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2021
She hired an assistant who sanitizes the tables, outdoor bathroom and shower, and backwashes the pool between events.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2021
RIGHT: Williams, 30, sanitizes her hospital identification card, part of her extensive cleaning routine.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 21, 2020
Today’s musician biopics are almost always overly sanitized stories approved by the artist or their estate.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Other presidents have also sometimes behaved contrary to democratic ideals, and national memorials often present a more sanitized version of American history.
From Slate ● May 18, 2026
Unfortunately, sanitized politicians have this shortcoming—they are not quite as interesting on stage as Attila the Hun or Boris Godunov.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
But now and then, something slips through the cracks, something that can’t be sanitized or ignored, no matter how much money or editing goes into it.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
‘I’m afraid you are a health hazard. You will have to be sanitized before we can proceed.’
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
What kind of satire does so much sanitizing?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Years ago, Douthat might have been accused of sanitizing the figures who appear on his podcast or of providing intellectual cover to the legitimately unhinged.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2025
Brad Sherman, Judy Chu and Jimmy Gomez said that they were left with more questions than answers — and accused the government of sanitizing the center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2025
But by sanitizing Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, “The Osbournes” established the architecture for the celebrity soft sell.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2025
The puff of cold sanitizing air made Coal shiver, and his skin wavered into view, then became transparent again.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
