rubbing alcohol

noun

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Definition of rubbing alcohol

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

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Recent Examples of rubbing alcohol from the Web

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
State health officials recommend disinfecting the bite site with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

— don behm, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Heading outdoors? Here's how to protect yourself from a full bloom of mosquitoes and ticks in Wisconsin," 30 May 2018
Be sure to clean your hands and the area around the bite with rubbing alcohol or soap and water afterward.

— lucas aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "Ticks are gross. And they're back in a big way this summer in Kentucky," 24 May 2018
After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

— n'dea yancey-bragg, USA TODAY, "Tick season: what you need to know about ticks and how to remove them," 23 May 2018
Once tick is removed, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

— BostonGlobe.com, "How to remove a tick from your body," 7 May 2018
After removing the tick, wash the infected area with soap and water and apply rubbing alcohol to prevent infection.

— dwight adams, Indianapolis Star, "Diseases from mosquito and tick bites are on rise in U.S. Here's what you can do about it.," 1 May 2018
Window cleaner: Mix 2 cups rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 teaspoon dish washing liquid in a large spray bottle and top with distilled water.

— doreen christensen, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Spring cleaning: Recipes for green cleaning products that cost pennies to make," 19 Mar. 2018
Use a strong ice scraper and home-made a 2-to-1 rubbing alcohol-to-water solution in a spray bottle.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "People are still playing Pokemon Go, apparently: Forest Grove police log," 19 Feb. 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.