disinfectant
Americannoun
-
disinfectants
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of disinfectant
1830–40; < French désinfectant, noun use of present participle of désinfecter, Middle French. See disinfect, -ant
Explanation
If you need to clean a nasty mess, grab some disinfectant. It's a powerful cleanser that kills bacteria. Disinfectant is a chemical that can destroy dangerous microorganisms — using it is the next best thing to sterilization. If someone in your family has had the flu, it makes sense to use a disinfectant when you clean the bathroom, just in case there are lingering germs on the doorknobs and faucets. Disinfectants are similar to antibiotics and antiseptics, except they're used on objects and surfaces rather than on (or in) our bodies.
Vocabulary lists containing disinfectant
Earthquake Terror
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Free Period
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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:
To examine what happens under realistic conditions, the researchers tested scented conventional liquid products as well as botanical-containing disinfectant sprays and wipes inside a model home on Purdue's campus.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
At Kampala’s Mirembe food market, where stalls overflow with watermelons and green bananas, fish vendor Medie Waiswa uses disinfectant every morning to clean his countertop, storage cabinet, chairs and motorcycle handlebars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
She watched TikTok videos warning expectant mothers to bring their own toilet paper and disinfectant to the hospital and says several relatives had a terrible experience.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
I believe a little sunlight would be a great disinfectant.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
She believed firmly in the disinfectant qualities of vinegar and sunshine, and who’s to say she was wrong?
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
The study found that exposure to nanoplastics increased the physical strength of the biofilm and made it more resistant to disinfectants.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
She said the overflowing and soiled bathrooms were so disgusting that she had to use the little money she had on her to purchase bleach and disinfectants for her family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
If infected rodents are confirmed on board, public-health officials might require a thorough decontamination—a process that, according to the CDC, involves wetting all surfaces with disinfectants before cleaning to avoid sending virus particles airborne.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Garlic extract has been found to offer antimicrobial effects that are on par with commonly used antiseptics and disinfectants such as chlorhexidine, according to medical researchers at the University of Sharjah.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 8, 2025
Father set down his box of ammonia and disinfectants.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
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.
