sterilization

noun

ster·​il·​i·​za·​tion ˌster-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

plural sterilizations

1

: the act or process of sterilizing: such as

a

: the rendering of something free from viable microorganisms (as by the use of steam or dry heat)

The hospital's standard method for cleaning surgical equipment is a five-step process that includes ultrasound, washing with detergents and enzymes, and sterilization in an autoclave.

—Kay Lazar and Chelsea Conaboy

Ethylene oxide … is a gas used widely to sterilize surgical equipment that can't tolerate steam sterilization.

—Science News

b

: a procedure by which a living organism is made incapable of reproduction

While I'm sure the pets aren't too keen on the procedure, sterilization avoids unwanted animals …, prevents some health problems in older pets, and helps to prevent aggressive behavior that some owners might use as a reason for euthanasia or abuse.

—Jil McIntosh

The sterile insect technique … is a species-specific and environmentally nonpolluting method of insect control that relies on the mass rearing, sterilization, and release of large numbers of insects.

—Dean D. Thomas et al.

According to the 1995 Canadian Contraception Study, vasectomy has overtaken tubal ligation in every province except the Maritimes as the preferred method of sterilization.

—Michael Jabri-Picket

Under the law upheld by the Supreme Court in 1927, the state of Virginia continued to perform forced, involuntary sterilizations until 1972.

—Laurence H. Tribe

2

: the condition of one that is sterile or sterilized

Once used as an antimalarial drug in World War II, quinacrine is known to cause irreversible sterilization …

—Praful Bidwai

Examples of sterilization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the first time in 50 years, the EPA released new rules for commercial sterilization that uses EtO, aiming to reduce emission by more than 90%. —Laura Coburn, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024

But a New York Times and Fuller Project investigation has found that these brands have also profited from a brutal system of labor that exploits children and leads to the unnecessary sterilization of working-age women. —Qadri Inzamam Saumya Khandelwal, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024

Infection prevention measures include rigorous cleaning schedules and sterilization of spaces and equipment that are used for patient care. —Kayla Hui, Verywell Health, 10 Mar. 2024

The state conducted nearly 2,000 sterilizations, the 11th highest in the country. —Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024

Facing public outcry, some resort to sterilization or even mass culling. —Erika Fry, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2024

Our experts agree, thorough washing in hot soapy water is far more important than sterilization. —Samson McDougall, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024

The health risks of using ethylene oxide for sterilization are mostly to the person who is doing the task or running the sterilization equipment, added Alan. —Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 2 Feb. 2024

Even under 19th-century lab conditions, where sterilization techniques were not perfect and little was known about what food bacteria need to survive, this microbe was easy to cultivate and grow quickly. —Megan Keller, The Conversation, 5 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sterilization

• pre-sterilization