sanitation
Americannoun
-
the development and application of sanitary measures for the sake of cleanliness, protecting health, etc.
-
the disposal of sewage and solid waste.
noun
Etymology
Origin of sanitation
First recorded in 1840–50; sanit(ary) + -ation
Explanation
Sanitation has to do with making things clean, especially by sterilizing. Have you ever used hand sanitizer to make sure your hands are germ-free? Then you should have an idea what sanitation is: making something clean (sanitary). Sanitation workers pick up your garbage, keeping your neighborhood clean. Sanitation is important in restaurants and also for surgical instruments. You wouldn't want a surgeon to touch you with an instrument that hadn't gone through sanitation, because it would probably have germs.
Vocabulary lists containing sanitation
Africa - Introductory
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Africa - Middle School
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Africa - High School
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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.
Scores of women queued at a school sheltering Nepal flood victims, jostling to receive personal-care supplies, as concerns over sanitation and menstrual hygiene mount days after the catastrophic disaster.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
“We stand firmly behind our food safety and sanitation standards and will cooperate fully with any regulatory review,” the company said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Local officials admit the influx has placed enormous pressure on an area with little infrastructure, no piped water and limited sanitation.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
AFP reporters in Ceuta in the days following the influx saw unaccompanied children suffering limited access to food, water, shelter and sanitation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
He had traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to support black sanitation workers who were being treated unfairly in their jobs.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
