euthanize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Usage
What does euthanize mean? Euthanize means to painlessly put a person or animal to death. The decision to euthanize a person is usually made because they have a painful, incurable disease or condition which will cause them to die slowly and in great pain. Where it is legal, the dying person must consent to being euthanized and only a doctor or other permitted person is legally able to end that person’s life. With animals, the decision is usually left to the animal’s owner, with a veterinarian or other qualified person actually ending the animal’s life. Animals are also usually euthanized because they are in great pain that cannot be relieved any other way. Euthanize is also written as euthanatize. In British English, the spellings euthanise and euthanatise are also used. Example: A veterinarian sometimes has to euthanize an animal when they will otherwise suffer a painful death.
Etymology
Origin of euthanize
First recorded in 1960–65; euthan(asia) + -ize
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.
He added that by the time the city made contact with state officials, the decision to euthanize was already made.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
Last year, that pack made headlines for an unprecedented number of livestock attacks — leading state wildlife officials to euthanize several members.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026
Fish and Wildlife is primarily responsible for managing the hulking mammals, including making the call to move or euthanize them.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025
These are places that receive a significant influx of animals, either by owner surrender or retrieval, and would rather have people claim them than be forced to euthanize them.
From Salon • Dec. 6, 2024
“My contact said the normal protocol would have been to euthanize the coyote on arrival. I think this is a good sign.”
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
