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 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 The recall announcement directed consumers to wash and sanitize any containers that may have come into contact with the affected product, and wash and sanitize hands and utensils that may have touched the product. — Mason Leib, ABC News, 14 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
  • Some help surgeons operate with greater precision, while others disinfect rooms, transport supplies, assist patients during rehabilitation, or provide comfort to people who are distressed.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Now, the clock starts on a seven-day process to remove other debris and power-wash and disinfect the cavernous freezer.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of disinfect
Verb
  • War is frequently romanticized at Revolutionary War battlefields.
    — Jennifer Janofsky, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Not to mention, the pink tint totally romanticizes your evening skincare routine à la Hailey Bieber.
    — Essence Wiley, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of romanticize
Verb
  • 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
  • Even considering the persistence and peril of anthrax, Stewart reckons that the British government did properly decontaminate the island.
    — RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 5 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
  • Since each toolhead can remain loaded with a separate filament, the printer can switch between them (in a single second, the company claims), without repeatedly purging filament through one nozzle.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The pushback prompted several companies, including LinkedIn and Spotify, to purge their platforms of the digital waste.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of purge
Verb
  • Gen Z’s frustration with wealth concentration is well-documented culturally, yet the #OldMoney aesthetic idealizes the visual language of precisely the fortune-building class its politics often criticize.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • In these photographs, the maternal body enters spaces designed around seduction, aspiration, and idealized femininity without renouncing any of them.
    — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of idealize
Verb
  • The technique already plays a major role in biotechnology, where manufacturers use it to purify complex compounds and biologic medicines.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Puerto Rico’s governor had declared a state of emergency in late July because of the persistent dry conditions and activated the National Guard to transport, distribute, and purify water.
    — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of purify
Verb
  • As the bust continued in Alaska, work on the base accelerated and intensified.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Inflation and tariff pressures have intensified these challenges.
    — Tejal Patel, Fortune, 31 Aug. 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 7 Sep. 2026.

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