deodorize

verb

dē-ˈō-də-ˌrīz How to pronounce deodorize (audio)
Definition of deodorizenext
as in to excuse
to make (something) seem less bad by offering excuses the propaganda film attempts to deodorize the dictator's history of human rights abuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deodorize Lineage is also using misters inside the building to try to deodorize the food until it is removed from the site. — Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 How steam cleaners work Steam cleaners use boiling water instead of soap to clean and deodorize carpets. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 26 June 2026 When washing pet blankets or bedding, add ½ cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle and use hot water to deodorize them. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 June 2026 Gentle, deodorizing ear wipes that remove dirt and wax to help prevent itching, odor and infections between vet visits. — Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 25 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for deodorize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deodorize
  1. excuse
  2. explain
  3. justify
  4. palliate
  5. whitewash
  6. explain away
Verb
  • The Supreme Court ruled parents were entitled to notice and an opportunity to excuse their children from instruction that substantially burdened their religious exercise.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026
  • For me, the larger question is not whether artistic behavior excuses transgression, but how to hold artistic achievement and ethical accountability together without allowing one to erase the other.
    — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of excuse
Verb
  • Some news stations would run a warning for viewers before the ad would air, as well as explain the FCC law requiring its airing.
    — Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Find out what the bill does when one workflow triples its tool calls after a model upgrade, because that is the scenario that turns a modest platform fee into a line item the CFO wants explained.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of explain
Verb
  • Southampton’s status as one of England’s premier talent houses is justified by the top of this list thanks to their sale of a 16-year-old Theo Walcott to Arsenal in January 2006.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Crump also argued that the criminal charges subsequently brought against Hackett were only brought to justify the force Arellano had already used.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of justify
Verb
  • Radiation can also be used to palliate painful bone metastases, as well as chemotherapy.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2024
  • Senior-home avatars who are designed to palliate dementia patients in their darkest days.
    — Longreads, Longreads, 12 Apr. 2024
Definition of palliate
Verb
  • Japan’s Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum has been accused of whitewashing the country’s wartime past.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2026
  • Critics have warned that the new panels replacing the ones exhibited since 2010 whitewash the history of slavery.
    — Corey Williams, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of whitewash
Verb
  • Still, there's a difference between de-escalating and going out of your way to explain away the actions of the player who just blasted one of your own.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • How these experiences may be misclassified The symptoms that women in their late 30s, 40s, and early 50s commonly experience are, individually, easy to explain away.
    — Matt Emma, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of explain away

Browse Nearby Words

denying
deodorize
deodorized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deodorize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deodorize. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on deodorize

Nglish: Translation of deodorize for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All