sterilize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to destroy microorganisms in or on, usually by bringing to a high temperature with steam, dry heat, or boiling liquid.
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to destroy the ability of (a person or animal) to reproduce by removing the sexual organs or inhibiting their functions.
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to make (land) barren or unproductive.
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Informal. to delete or remove anything comprising or damaging from.
to sterilize a government document before releasing it to the press.
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Informal. to isolate or completely protect from unwanted, unauthorized, or unwholesome activities, attitudes, influences, etc..
You can't sterilize children against violence.
verb
Other Word Forms
- presterilize verb (used with object)
- resterilize verb (used with object)
- self-sterilized adjective
- sterilizability noun
- sterilizable adjective
- sterilizer noun
- unsterilized adjective
Etymology
Origin of sterilize
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.
Hospitals use it to sterilize medical devices, and some municipalities use low levels to treat public water supplies.
From Salon
Scientists in the 1950s discovered a technique that uses radiation to sterilize male parasitic flies.
From Los Angeles Times
The rule from which they are seeking relief applies to a chemical known as ethylene oxide, or EtO, which is commonly used to sterilize medical devices that can’t be cleaned using steam or radiation.
From Los Angeles Times
San Bernardino County officials have made new deals with a local nonprofit to help sterilize and relocate wild donkeys.
From Los Angeles Times
Releasing sterilized male insects to combat pests is a proven scientific technique that’s been around since the 1950s, but using it to control invasive mosquitoes is relatively new.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
