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

Instead of being in buckets of sanitizer when not in use, wet wiping cloths sat on prep tables in the meat, food service and processing areas. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026

There will be no need to mention hand sanitizer or the etiquette of pods. —Emma Alpern, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2026

Hand sanitizer alone does not work well against norovirus. —Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026

In consumer goods, Church & Dwight is viewed by sources as open to more acquisitions, after buying hand sanitizer brand Touchland for $880 million last year and Hero Cosmetics for $630 million in 2022. —Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 10 Mar. 2026

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