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 truck

sanitation workers

See sanitation defined for English-language learners

See sanitation defined for kids

Examples of sanitation in a Sentence

Diseases can spread from poor sanitation.

Recent Examples of sanitation from the Web

Serving as a water sanitation volunteer with the Peace Corps, Jackson was tasked with teaching general health and hygiene practices in the Ivory Coast.

— erin edgemon, AL.com, "Mountain Brook native enters elite CDC training program," 26 Aug. 2017
Malnutrition and poor sanitation have made the Middle Eastern country vulnerable to diseases that most of the world has confined to the history books.

— troy griggs, The Seattle Times, "Yemen spiraling in slow death from humanitarian crisis," 24 Aug. 2017
Damage to water and sanitation facilities make residents of disaster areas vulnerable to diseases, including cholera and typhoid, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

— olivier monnier, Bloomberg.com, "Sierra Leone Rescue Workers Weigh Calling Off Search Operations," 22 Aug. 2017
Contamination most often occurs, experts say, due to inadequate bathroom sanitation which is doubly difficult for those who are living on city streets.

— paul sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Death toll reaches 11 in San Diego hepatitis A outbreak," 15 Aug. 2017
And because of broken plumbing and poor sanitation in the jail, the now-21-year-old Kansas City man alleges that he was forced to live in filth while incarcerated for months before being sentenced to probation for robbery last year.

— mike hendricks, kansascity, "Jail lawsuit asks judge to order Jackson County to address dirty, dangerous conditions," 11 Aug. 2017
The revenue goes back into the sanitation department’s budget.

— jeffery c. mays, New York Times, "Business Is Booming on 125th Street. So Is the Trash.," 8 Aug. 2017
The budget covers services including police, fire, courts, the jail, animal services, emergency management, elections, sanitation, water and sewer.

— mark niesse, ajc, "How DeKalb (mostly) ended government deficits," 4 Aug. 2017
Today, the country of 1.3 million people, still faces poverty with many people lacking clean water and sanitation.

— stephen wright, The Seattle Times, "East Timor vote highlights young nation’s uneven progress," 20 July 2017

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.

First Known Use of sanitation

1848

SANITATION Defined for English Language Learners

sanitation

noun

Definition of sanitation for English Language Learners

: the process of keeping places free from dirt, infection, disease, etc., by removing waste, trash and garbage, by cleaning streets, etc.

SANITATION Defined for Kids

sanitation

noun san·i·ta·tion \ ˌsa-nə-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of sanitation for Students

:the act or process of making or keeping things free from filth, infection, or other dangers to health

Medical Dictionary

sanitation

noun san·i·ta·tion \ ˌsan-ə-ˈtā-shən \

medical 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

mouth sanitation

Learn More about sanitation

See words that rhyme with sanitation Spanish Central: Translation of sanitation Nglish: Translation of sanitation for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sanitation for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sanitation

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sanitation

Definition of sanitation

Examples of sanitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sanitation from the Web

First Known Use of sanitation

SANITATION Defined for English Language Learners

sanitation

Definition of sanitation for English Language Learners

SANITATION Defined for Kids

sanitation

Definition of sanitation for Students

Medical Dictionary

sanitation

medical Definition of sanitation

Learn More about sanitation

Seen and Heard

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sanitation

Definition of sanitation

From the M-W Editors

Examples of sanitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sanitation from the Web

First Known Use of sanitation

SANITATION Defined for English Language Learners

sanitation

Definition of sanitation for English Language Learners

SANITATION Defined for Kids

sanitation

Definition of sanitation for Students

Medical Dictionary

sanitation

medical Definition of sanitation

Learn More about sanitation

Seen and Heard

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