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

Alcohol and hand sanitizer also help dissolve sticker residue. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 Sep. 2025

According to the release, the chemical involved in the incident was identified as hyperflex, or acid sanitizer, which contains phosphoric acid and nitric acid. —Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Sep. 2025

There was ninety-five dollars in small bills, some hand sanitizer, and a Swiss Army knife. —Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025

Dishes, equipment and food contact surfaces were washed in an automatic dish machine without any sanitizer. —Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sanitizer

• advertiser
• analyser
• analyzer
• appetizer
• atomizer
• breathalyzer
• colonizer
• crystallizer
• digitizer
• equalizer
• fertilizer
• localizer