sanitizer

noun

san·​i·​tiz·​er ˈsa-nə-ˌtī-zər 

plural sanitizers

: a substance or product that is used to reduce or eliminate pathogenic agents (such as bacteria) on surfaces

Sales of alcohol-based hand sanitizers were up nearly 17% as of the first week of September compared to the same period last year …

—Laura Landro

"Carvacrol could potentially be used as a food sanitizer … particularly in conjunction with other antimicrobials," says Kelly Bright, associate research scientist in the department of soil, water, and environmental science at the University of Arizona.

—Daniel Stolt

also : a device used in sanitizing

This ozone-generating sanitizer looks like a miniature tanning bed for your manual toothbrush—and it emits ultraviolet light (UV) to kill 99.9 percent of brush germs.

—Malinda Govoni

Among the equipment that impressed him: … A wall-mounted food sanitizer that diverts water from the sink tap and charges it with ozone before dispensing it through the aerator for produce cleaning.

—Howard Riell

Examples of sanitizer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The idea is to prevent companies from taking advantage of a spike in demand due to crisis conditions, like selling consumers $10 bottles of hand sanitizer or $200 snow shovels. —Emily Peck, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024

There will be no effort made here to question the science behind what is said about hand sanitizers, sunscreens, heartburn medication, and many more products. —John Tamny, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024

The violations ranged from improper food storage to lack of dish sanitizer. —The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2024

There’s no reason to stop this visually appealing trend; just be sure to bring along a bottle of hand sanitizer. —Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above