Synonyms

anesthetize

American

[uh-nes-thi-tahyz] / əˈnɛs θɪˌtaɪz /

especially British, anesthetise

verb (used with object)

to render physically insensible, as by an anesthetic.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of anesthetize

1840–50; < Greek anaísthēt ( os ) ( see anesthetic) + -ize

Explanation

If you need to have surgery, a doctor will anesthetize you, or give you medicine to make you sleep through the operation. When a vet knocks your dog out to clean his teeth, she anesthetizes him. Oral surgeons also anesthetize patients before removing their wisdom teeth. In both cases, special drugs are used to put the patient under, or make him sleep long enough for the procedure to be finished before he wakes up. A doctor whose job it is to anesthetize patients is called an anesthesiologist. The root word is Greek: anaisthesia, "lack of feeling or sensation."

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Vocabulary lists containing anesthetize

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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.

Zoo officials said the tragedy shows why decisions to anesthetize animals are not taken lightly.

From Washington Times • Aug. 30, 2023

The researchers anesthetize the captured cats, give them a quick physical exam and fit them with GPS collars to track their movements.

From Seattle Times • May 12, 2023

They’d dipped the animals in magnesium chloride to anesthetize them, a common lab procedure.

From New York Times • Aug. 27, 2022

Who is ever going to let him anesthetize them?

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2021

In fact, the vapors of chloroform, which anesthetize plants, also prevent nitrification, since they anaesthetize the nitric ferment.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 446, July 19, 1884 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023