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sanitize

verb

Definition of sanitizenext
1
as in to disinfect

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in to romanticize

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 sanitize What got a repair guy phone call while the inspector was there was a dishwasher that couldn’t sanitize dishes. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 Health care workers should sanitize their hands before and after patient contact regardless of whether that contact involves a handshake, a physical examination, or a procedure. — Zain Khawaja, STAT, 24 Aug. 2026 White vinegar is gentle enough to clean and sanitize tools without damaging them as horticultural vinegar would, says Zaber. — Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 22 Aug. 2026 The restaurant was ordered to close immediately, clean and sanitize the kitchen and check for any points of entry for the insects. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sanitize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanitize
  1. disinfect
  2. romanticize
  3. decontaminate
  4. sugarcoat
  5. purge
  6. idealize
  7. purify
  8. intensify
Verb
  • Public water systems commonly use chlorine or chloramine to disinfect drinking water and control microbes.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Authorities ordered the owners of the 10 towers to clean and disinfect them by Monday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of disinfect
Verb
  • That is not to romanticize the post-9/11 era; there were failures and ugliness too.
    — Steven Fulop, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The 1930 release included contributions from Warren and Ransom among others who would later distance themselves from a racist and romanticized view of the rural South held by many agrarians.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of romanticize
Verb
  • The protocol provides details on decontaminating clothing and equipment after caving.
    — Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Those exhibiting suspicious symptoms had samples taken and sent to a laboratory for analysis, the ministry said on Saturday, adding that the vessel was also decontaminated.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of decontaminate
Verb
  • His prose radiates an ecstatic pessimism, as if lit up from within by the relief of not having to sugarcoat things with comforting lies.
    — Peter C. Baker, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Her refusal to sugarcoat the interior and exterior lives of her characters, whether enslaved or traumatized by the past — by events in American history — was purposeful.
    — Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of sugarcoat
Verb
  • Reality says the dead cap money ($182 million) this franchise is taking on after purging the roster keeps Miami from being competitive in the first half of the season.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The top 10 percent of the entire military chain of command has been purged.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of purge
Verb
  • Women are increasingly disappointed with heterosexual relations, even as they’re captivated by romance, which so often idealizes it.
    — Emily Kelleher, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
  • While some look at this aesthetic as idealizing a time where women had fewer rights and independence, many trad wives do not think their roles are degrading.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of idealize
Verb
  • Instead of sugar or salt, this scalp scrub counts on apricot seed to exfoliate and menthol to purify.
    — Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 14 Sep. 2026
  • There are many easy and cost-effective ways to purify water, such as boiling, filtration and treating with chemical disinfectants.
    — Elaine Reno, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of purify
Verb
  • Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned Sunday that Moscow appears poised to intensify its campaign against Ukraine's borders with European countries.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
  • European leaders convene in Finland’s Arctic capital as melting ice opens new shipping lanes and resource frontiers, intensifying Russian military activity and exposing doubts about NATO’s long-term role in regional security.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of intensify

Browse Nearby Words

sanitary landfills
sanitize
sanitized
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Cite this Entry

“Sanitize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanitize. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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