rubbing alcohol

noun

Definition of rubbing alcohol

: a cooling and soothing liquid for external application that contains approximately 70 percent denatured ethanol or isopropanol

Examples of rubbing alcohol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To avoid infection and other complications, the AAP recommends having a medical professional perform a piercing, using rubbing alcohol or some form of disinfectant. — PEOPLE.com, "Kylie Jenner Pierces 5-Month-Old Daughter Stormi's Ears: How Safe Is the Procedure for Babies?," 12 July 2018 Be sure to disinfect your pruners with rubbing alcohol or another disinfectant between pruning cuts. — Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, "Have a dying spruce tree? Fungus may be the culprit," 23 May 2018 Then thoroughly clean the bite (and your hands) with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "This Is the Only Thing You Should Do If a Tick Lands on You," 18 May 2017 Window cleaner: Mix 2 cups rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 teaspoon dish washing liquid in a spray bottle and top with distilled water. — Doreen Christensen, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dear Doreen's Deals: Locked-up carts at Aldi keep prices low; what's tax-free for back to school," 13 July 2018 Ink Clothing Leverette recommends dipping a cotton swab in clear rubbing alcohol and gently lifting the stain from the outside edge toward the center, swapping swabs as soon as each absorbs the ink. — NBC News, "How to get stains out of almost anything," 24 June 2018 To lessen a scratch, daub on a tiny amount of rubbing alcohol and buff gently. — Heloise, Houston Chronicle, "Butter versus margarine," 20 June 2018 In September 2015 in Brownsville, medical staff left rubbing alcohol accessible, and a youth took it and consumed it. — New York Times, "Inside the Former Walmart That Is Now a Shelter for Almost 1,500 Migrant Children," 14 June 2018 Instead flush live ticks down the toilet or drown them in rubbing alcohol and then dispose of them in the garbage in a sealed and taped shut sandwich bag. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "How to Protect Your Pet From 2018's Dangerous Tick Season," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rubbing alcohol.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.