sanitize

verb

san·​i·​tize ˈsa-nə-ˌtīz 

sanitized; sanitizing

transitive verb

1

: to reduce or eliminate pathogenic agents (such as bacteria) on the surfaces of (something) : to make (something) sanitary (as by cleaning or disinfecting)

You can use sponges and dishcloths safely if you take care to sanitize them, says Dean Cliver, a professor of food safety at the University of California, Davis.

—Nick Gallo

City Sanitarian Lauri Sorel said no soot was found and restaurants only had to sanitize food service surfaces with a mixture of bleach and water.

—The Springfield (Massachusetts) Union-News

He had every store and delivery truck sanitized, and he set up a department to make unannounced health inspections of stores, vowing to temporarily shut down any slackers for cleanup.

—Suzanne Hoppough

2

: to make (something, such as text) more acceptable by removing, hiding, or minimizing any unpleasant, undesirable, or unfavorable parts

The memories—and memoirs—of former intelligence hands tend to be selective as well as sanitized, either by the author or by some form of official censorship or both, and the historian must be wary.

—Ian Black and Benny Morris

They were also forced to "sanitize" reports that might show early church leaders or the official doctrine in a dim light.

—Robert Lindsey

Once "friended" by a colleague, people feel compelled to employ privacy features—which itself can be a snub—or to sanitize their online profiles—which is akin to hiding something under the bed.

—Jared Sandberg

Published in Munich in 1987, the diaries are a major tool of that school of historians whose purpose is to relativize, normalize, sanitize the crimes of the Third Reich.

—Peter Padfield

And the movie sanitizes his behavior as well. (It manages to suggest that he's a philanderer without ever once showing him with another woman.)

—Entertainment Weekly

… civilian casualties are referred to as "collateral damage"—a stunningly abstract and sanitized way to refer to mangled human bodies.

—Carol E. Cohn

sanitization

ˌsa-nə-tə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of sanitize in a Sentence

The housekeeping staff sanitized the bathroom.

They're trying to sanitize the news.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the darkness, Mr. Fink sanitized and tidied the tents, then lit garden lights and glow sticks along the path up to camp for those who would arrive in the night. —Emily Baumgaertner, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

The machine heats water up in just 30 seconds to sanitize 99.9 percent of bacteria on hard floors — without any harsh chemicals. —Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024

Images of childbirth, especially those associated with the fundamental figures of Christianity, including the Virgin Mary, were generally sanitized. —Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024

That means all the furniture is liquid repellent and easily sanitized if necessary. —Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024

Besides, humans have a knack for sanitizing our most painful memories. —George Makari, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024

Observed dishwasher washing dishes not sanitizing pans after washing and rinsing them. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Jan. 2024

Metals are generally easy to sanitize, and some are hypoallergenic. —Isabella Ubaldi, Health, 20 Mar. 2024

Nolan dissects the country’s recent history without succumbing to the sanitizing impulse of much academic prose, and without overdramatizing what could easily be maudlin: babies whisked away from families and disappeared into distant lands. —John Washington, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin sanitas

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sanitize

verb

san·​i·​tize ˈsan-ə-ˌtīz 

sanitized; sanitizing

: to make sanitary (as by cleaning or sterilizing)

Medical Definition

sanitize

transitive verb

san·​i·​tize

variants also British sanitise

ˈsan-ə-ˌtīz 

sanitized also British sanitised; sanitizing also British sanitising

: to make sanitary (as by cleaning or sterilizing)

sanitize all surfaces with a solution of bleach and water

sanitization noun

also British sanitisation

ˌsan-ət-ə-ˈzā-shən