sanitize

American  

[san-i-tahyz] / ˈsæn ɪˌtaɪz /

especially British, sanitise

verb (used with object)

sanitized, sanitizing

1. to free from dirt, germs, etc., as by cleaning or sterilizing.

2. to make less offensive by eliminating anything unwholesome, objectionable, incriminating, etc..

   to sanitize a document before releasing it to the press.

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sanitize British  

/ ˈsænɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to make sanitary or hygienic, as by sterilizing

2. to omit unpleasant details from (a news report, document, etc) to make it more palatable to the recipients

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Other Word Forms

• sanitization noun
• unsanitized adjective

Etymology

Origin of sanitize

First recorded in 1830–40; sanit(ary) + -ize

Example Sentences

Ms. Rodríguez, according to sources, siphoned profits through networks of international and domestic businessmen while building PR machinery to sanitize her image.

From The Wall Street Journal

The strength of Tom’s narration is that it makes no effort to sanitize itself for its audience, to make Tom seem fair or attractive.

From The Wall Street Journal

Food processing plants apply it to sanitize surfaces and equipment.

From Salon

They saw people going in and out, carrying boxes out of the house onto a flatbed truck as though they were “sanitizing a crime scene,” the family’s lawsuit says.

From Los Angeles Times

City crews have sanitized Gage Avenue and Avalon Boulevard in South Los Angeles more than 20 times just this year, according to Price’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• decontaminate
• disinfect