sanitizer

noun

san·​i·​tiz·​er ˈsa-nə-ˌtī-zər 

plural sanitizers

: a substance or product that is used to reduce or eliminate pathogenic agents (such as bacteria) on surfaces

Sales of alcohol-based hand sanitizers were up nearly 17% as of the first week of September compared to the same period last year …

—Laura Landro

"Carvacrol could potentially be used as a food sanitizer … particularly in conjunction with other antimicrobials," says Kelly Bright, associate research scientist in the department of soil, water, and environmental science at the University of Arizona.

—Daniel Stolt

also : a device used in sanitizing

This ozone-generating sanitizer looks like a miniature tanning bed for your manual toothbrush—and it emits ultraviolet light (UV) to kill 99.9 percent of brush germs.

—Malinda Govoni

Among the equipment that impressed him: … A wall-mounted food sanitizer that diverts water from the sink tap and charges it with ozone before dispensing it through the aerator for produce cleaning.

—Howard Riell

Examples of sanitizer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Numerous lots of hand sanitizer and aloe gels have been voluntarily recalled due to a presence of methanol, which can be toxic when applied to the skin or ingested. —Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024

In the deli area, the spray bottles of Sani Save sanitizer used to clean the slicers weren’t diluted enough and had a concentration over 400 parts per million. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024

Inspectors observed an employee wash their hands without sanitizer during Tuesday’s inspection. —Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024

But the elastic mesh pocket has great stretch and ended up being the secure home for my wallet and hand sanitizer. —Patrice J. Williams, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Mar. 2024

The person in charge remade the Quat sanitizer solution with a reading of 200 ppm. —Michael Braga, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024

The items bumped out of the list, such as hand sanitizers, reflect the reset back to normal from the pandemic times. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024

Hand sanitizer, meanwhile, has fallen out of the measure, as demand has slumped since the end of the pandemic. —Hanna Ziady, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024

Other aerosol products, including sunscreen sprays and spray deodorants, as well as non-aerosol hand sanitizers, have also come under industry scrutiny for possible benzene contamination. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above