disinfect
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Usage
What does disinfect mean? Disinfect means to clean something of infection by killing or preventing the growth of disease-causing germs, as in You want to disinfect your countertop after having raw meat on it to kill harmful bacteria like E. coli. Disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses (often referred to as germs) can live on surfaces or enter into open wounds. When you disinfect something, you are either directly killing the germs or making it harder for the germs to spread or survive. The noun disinfection refers to the act of disinfecting, as in The contaminated clothing was marked for disinfection. A chemical that is used to disinfect something is referred to as a disinfectant. Bleach is commonly used as a disinfectant in households. Example: The janitor disinfected the table using a cleaning chemical designed to kill germs.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of disinfect
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French desinfecter, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + infecter “to die, taint, poison”; see infect
Explanation
To disinfect something is to clean it so thoroughly that you kill any bacteria that might have been living on it. It's particularly important to disinfect cuts and scratches. You can disinfect your kitchen counters with cleaning products, or disinfect a scrape by washing it with soap and water. Public swimming pools have chlorine added to their water to disinfect them, and bleach is a good all-purpose chemical used to disinfect floors, laundry, and other things that might be harboring nasty bugs. Infect comes from a Latin root word, inficere, "to spoil or stain." Adding the prefix dis-, "do the opposite of," gives you disinfect.
Vocabulary lists containing disinfect
Because of Mr. Terupt
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Microbiology - High School
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Pictures of Hollis Wood
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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.
Officers involved in these tasks disinfect their vehicles and shoes after patrolling high-risk areas.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Greater transparency and clarity are urgently needed to disinfect the greenwashing fraud of many ESG initiatives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026
At a nearby table, other students carefully dismantle warped albums or disinfect and clean faded photographs, which are then hung to dry.
From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025
Yoga instructor Rudd likes to call attention to the area’s cowboy roots and remind participants that the site they’re on was once used to inoculate, disinfect and brand cattle.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2025
“For instance, did you know that the ancient Romans used bottles of urine as a refreshing oral rinse? They thought the ammonia in urine would disinfect mouths and whiten teeth.”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
