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
Etymology
Origin of sanitize
First recorded in 1830–40; sanit(ary) + -ize
Explanation
To sanitize something is to make it extremely clean. After watching you play with your slobbery dog, your fastidious friend might insist that you sanitize your hands before sitting down to dinner. When you clean or sterilize something, particularly for reasons of good health (like not spreading germs), you can say that you sanitize it. You can also use this verb in a figurative way, whenever you "clean" something: "She doesn't want to risk alienating her audience, so she sanitizes her speech to remove anything that might offend them." The Latin root is sanitas, "health."
Vocabulary lists containing sanitize
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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.
Sanitize your containers before use and use filtered water to reduce potential contaminants. Culturesforhealth.com, which sells various sprout kits, adds these safety tips: letting sprouts dry before refrigerating them, and consuming them within 5–7 days.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2022
The News Literacy Project has developed infographics on how to Sanitize Before You Share to stop the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and more.
From Slate • Jun. 8, 2020
Sanitize these elements as Hollywood may, it’s the nasty, unflattering things that make us human.
From The Guardian • Jun. 6, 2019
"Sanitize the sinks and tubs first by using bleach. Rinse and fill with clean water," the National Weather Service advises.
From Fox News • Oct. 9, 2018
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.
