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 But often during cleanups, sanitation workers or police officers end up discarding homeless people's possessions. — Jessica Boehm, The Arizona Republic, 8 Sep. 2021 That order applied to all city employees, contractors and grantees, including teachers, police officers and sanitation workers. — Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2021 Since late May, teams that include sanitation workers in garbage trucks, police officers and outreach workers have cruised Manhattan around the clock, hitting the same spots over and over. — Andy Newman, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2021 As such details are worked out, some smaller permanent memorials — a statue to sanitation workers in New York, wall murals in Detroit and a churchyard sculpture in Dover, Delaware, for instance — are already in place. — BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2021 Between 2010 and 2020, at least 63 sanitation workers died in Delhi, according to the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis. — Vijayta Lalwani, Quartz, 29 July 2021 The sanitation workers have already tossed carpets, a nylon awning, and boards into the maw of a nearby garbage truck. — Francine Kiefer, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2021 Denver is working to hire more sanitation workers after cutting its budget and letting vacancies go unfilled when the pandemic hit, said Nancy Kuhn, a spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 17 July 2021 Adams Kellum walked away to speak with the sanitation workers and the truck was turned off. — Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2021

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.