sanitizer

[san-i-tahy-zer]

noun

1. a substance or preparation for killing germs, designed for use especially on food-processing equipment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sanitizer¹

First recorded in 1945–50; sanitize + -er ¹

Example Sentences

“The most it amounts to is that he was passing out personal protective equipment, which includes boxes of water, hand sanitizer and snacks.”

From Los Angeles Times

She takes out the trash, then checks the fluid in the commercial dishwashing machine with a test strip to make sure there’s enough sanitizer.

From Los Angeles Times

Using hand sanitizer, paper and a lighter he set the fire knowing he could die, a prosecutor said in court on Wednesday.

From BBC

But I put an unusual amount of hand sanitizer in my bag every day.

From Los Angeles Times

They endured price spikes for items that were suddenly scarce, such as hand sanitizer, computer equipment and bleach.

From Salon

Related Words

• refinery 

When To Use

What does sanitizer mean?

Sanitizer is a substance or fluid designed to kill germs on skin and objects.To sanitize means to clean something by removing the dirt or destroying the germs on it. Food service operations use sanitizer to clean their equipment so that food doesn’t become contaminated with bacteria or other stuff that shouldn’t be in it. Sanitizer also refers to household products (especially hand sanitizer) that are used to prevent the spread of disease by killing germs on surfaces and skin.Example: We use industrial-grade sanitizer in the restaurant kitchen to keep our equipment free of germs.