sanitize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to free from dirt, germs, etc., as by cleaning or sterilizing.
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to make less offensive by eliminating anything unwholesome, objectionable, incriminating, etc..
to sanitize a document before releasing it to the press.
verb
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to make sanitary or hygienic, as by sterilizing
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to omit unpleasant details from (a news report, document, etc) to make it more palatable to the recipients
Other Word Forms
- sanitization noun
- unsanitized adjective
Etymology
Origin of sanitize
First recorded in 1830–40; sanit(ary) + -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.
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 • Jan. 6, 2026
But the governing body for more than half a million young athletes must remember nothing will ever sanitize that industry.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025
There’s also the chance I didn’t sanitize my hands correctly.
From Slate • May 28, 2025
“If you get any sugar onto your glove, now, your glove is completely stuck to you. I would wash and sanitize my hands, but definitely don't put on gloves,” Vu explained.
From Salon • Mar. 25, 2025
When I arrived at a hospital, I was usually met by a charge nurse, handed a set of medical scrubs to wear, and instructed to sanitize my hands each time I entered a room.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
