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

Towels and bedding should be washed in hot water to help sanitize them because of their heavy use. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025

No hot running water at the bar three-compartment sink, either, which makes the washing and sanitizing part difficult. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025

Thoroughly clean and sanitize any surfaces, containers, or utensils that may have come into contact with the raw eggs. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 24 Oct. 2025

The foundation organized nearly 2,000 events that year, in addition to operating a television channel, radio station, and magazine—all of which serve to sanitize the country’s international image. —Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin sanitas

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sanitize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

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