anesthetize

verb

anes·​the·​tize ə-ˈnes-thə-ˌtīz How to pronounce anesthetize (audio)
 British  -ˈnēs-
anesthetized; anesthetizing

transitive verb

: to subject to anesthesia

Examples of anesthetize in a Sentence

The doctor anesthetized the patient by an intravenous injection. She was anesthetized before the operation.
Recent Examples on the Web When Ellie — who’d been anesthetized and therefore unaware of both Joel’s actions and the danger to her — came to, Joel lied and said the experiment hadn’t worked. Claire Franken, TVLine, 4 Aug. 2024 When they were anesthetized, however, their brains seemed to irregularly fire off much faster patterns. Yasemin Saplakoglu, WIRED, 7 July 2024 Alhadeff and her coworkers used a microscope to observe levels of calcium—an indicator of cellular activity levels—in AP and NTS cells while mice were anesthetized. Mitch Leslie, science.org, 10 July 2024 One of the most distinctive features of her method is her anti-oratorical speaking style, which anesthetizes commentators and diplomats alike. Constanze Stelzenmüller, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021 See all Example Sentences for anesthetize 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anesthetize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anesthetize was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near anesthetize

Cite this Entry

“Anesthetize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anesthetize. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

anesthetize

verb
anes·​the·​tize ə-ˈnes-thə-ˌtīz How to pronounce anesthetize (audio)
anesthetized; anesthetizing
: to make insensible to pain especially by the use of an anesthetic

Medical Definition

anesthetize

transitive verb
anes·​the·​tize
variants or chiefly British anaesthetize also anaesthetise
anesthetized or chiefly British anesthetized also anesthetised; anesthetizing or chiefly British anesthetizing also anesthetising
: to subject to anesthesia
anesthetization noun
or chiefly British anaesthetization also anaesthetisation
ə-ˌnes-thət-ə-ˈzā-shən, British -ˌnēs-

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