sanitation

noun

san·i·ta·tion | \ ˌsa-nə-ˈtā-shən

Definition of sanitation

1 : the act or process of making sanitary

2 : the promotion of hygiene and prevention of disease by maintenance of sanitary conditions (as by removal of sewage and trash) —often used attributively a sanitation trucksanitation workers

Examples of sanitation in a Sentence

Diseases can spread from poor sanitation.

Recent Examples on the Web

The city now exports the more than 3 million tons of trash that city sanitation workers collect each year to upstate New York, Virginia, New Jersey, South Carolina and Pennsylvania. — Kate King, WSJ, "New York City Garbage Raises a Stink Upstate," 27 Aug. 2018 Help,’’’ said Adel Hagekhalil, assistant general manager of the city’s sanitation department. — Amanda Lee Myers, BostonGlobe.com, "Teen rescued 12 hours after falling into Los Angeles pipe," 2 Apr. 2018 According to Downtown Clean & Safe, which is managed by the Portland Business Association, its sanitation workers collected and cleaned up more garbage, needles, graffiti and biohazards in 2016 than in past years. — OregonLive.com, "The downtown Portland paradox explained in 10 charts," 7 Jan. 2018 Proper sanitation is another important factor in controlling insect, weed and disease problems. — Dan Gill, NOLA.com, "How to keep insects, weeds and diseases out of your South Louisiana garden," 24 May 2018 Poor sanitation and lack of clean water are the second-biggest killer of children under five years old, according to the World Health Organisation. — The Economist, "Latin America needs an infrastructure upgrade," 8 Mar. 2018 Proper plant spacing and good airflow will help, but sanitation is the real key to prevention. — Erin Benzakein With Julie Chai, Country Living, "How to Properly Grow and Care for Peonies," 2 Mar. 2018 Sindelar said sanitation and cleanliness are critical to any food-making operation. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: More Wisconsin hunters making their own venison sausage," 17 Feb. 2018 But sanitation is just one aim of the frequent subliminal messaging. — Brandon Presser, chicagotribune.com, "Secret codes, subliminal messaging behind world's biggest cruise," 2 Feb. 2018

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