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

The guiding image of my process was not an outline, but the ball pit found at indoor playgrounds, beloved by children and feared by adults who carry hand sanitizer just for such activities. —Literary Hub, 29 May 2026

The manager was not aware of the concentration of sanitizer needed for the washing machine. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado may 29, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026

Try to use a sanitizer in places where others may have left their germs, Nahass adds. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 29 May 2026

If your hands cannot immediately be washed, use hand sanitizer until they can be washed thoroughly with soap and water. —Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 18 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sanitizer

• advertiser
• analyser
• analyzer
• appetizer
• atomizer
• breathalyzer
• colonizer
• digitizer
• equalizer
• fertilizer
• localizer
• merchandiser