anonymize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of anonymize
First recorded in 1855–60 for an earlier sense; the current sense was first recorded in 1970–75; anonym(ous) ( def. ) + -ize ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
“We design our products and services to protect people’s privacy because only DNA is harder to anonymize than human movements,” the company’s website says, quoting Georgetown law and privacy expert Paul Ohm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Cal OES would begin publishing annual reports in 2027 that anonymize and aggregate critical safety incidents it receives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025
Knight says the analysis shows that the current methods microbiome researchers use to filter out human DNA and anonymize samples simply don’t work well enough.
From Science Magazine ● May 15, 2023
Update, December 12, 2022: This piece has been updated to anonymize the names of two sources.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2022
They could attempt to stop HeLa research through a lawsuit, arguing that it’s impossible to anonymize Henrietta’s cells, which contain their DNA.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Never input prompts with information that can be tied back to you, even if it’s anonymized later.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The survey analyzed anonymized, aggregated workplace data from companies using the Glean Work AI platform, a private search tool used to manage their internal information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
Google searched its location history database and produced anonymized information tied to devices inside that perimeter.
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
Federal oversight has historically relied on anonymized or limited datasets, in part to protect participant privacy and sustain trust.
From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2026
“That’s the end-goal, a citywide network with all-we-can eat free connectivity, fully anonymized and hardened against malicious attackers and incidental environmental interference.”
From Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Doctorow, Cory
The closing credits display a CIA address on Tor, an anonymizing network.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Carefully anonymizing survivors while breathlessly chasing a client list of powerful men unintentionally sends a message about who matters most.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025
“By anonymizing themselves, they’re indicating that they are not accountable to any sort of public.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2025
The systemic anonymizing and blurring of anyone accused without proof of being a gang leader and terrorist is one way to render them unworthy of our concern.
From Slate ● May 21, 2025
At NIH, Byrnes says implementing blinded reviews on a large scale would be impractical, because anonymizing proposals is “unwieldy” and reviews take longer.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 17, 2023
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.
