sterilize

verb

Definition of sterilizenext
as in to alter

Related 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 sterilize Keeping the cup clean is important for reducing your risk of infection, so clean the cup after each use, and sterilize the cup after your menstrual cycle. — Parents, 29 July 2026 Many palms are declining due to diseases; sterilize pruners between palms to prevent the spread. — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2026 Always sterilize your tools before pruning to prevent spreading diseases and avoid removing too many green leaves at once. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 26 June 2026 Boiling Clothes Won't Get Them Cleaner In the past, when options for doing laundry were more limited, boiling fabrics to sterilize and clean them was a common practice. — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sterilize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sterilize
  1. alter
  2. neuter
  3. castrate
  4. emasculate
  5. fix
Verb
  • States including California and New York are proposing disclosure when images are digitally (AI) altered and that the original image be shown.
    — Anthony Paganucci, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • China’s expanding naval capabilities could alter regional military calculations, particularly in areas where maritime disputes and competing territorial claims already exist.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of alter
Verb
  • With a run game neutered by a stout Auburn front, the game was on his shoulders.
    — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • On the chance Prop 40 passes, Prop 42 also effectively neuters the other measure by preventing any new retroactive tax, as 40 does.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of neuter
Verb
  • This is the league, remember, where a man (Harvey Updyke) confessed to poisoning the trees at Auburn on a radio show after Alabama lost to the Tigers, and a coach (Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State) castrated a bull to motivate his squad.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Those expectations got castrated because of last season’s early struggles.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
Definition of castrate
Verb
  • Under Republican control, the House of Representatives has been emasculated.
    — Linh Tat, Oc Register, 5 May 2026
  • No matter what agenda the president espoused—the economic pragmatism of Rafsanjani, the liberal aspirations of Mohammad Khatami, the populist provocations of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the nuclear diplomacy of Hassan Rouhani—Khamenei emasculated him.
    — Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2026
Definition of emasculate
Verb
  • That is, using AI to fix problems and do work that slows and impedes the creative process.
    — Mark Schilling, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026
  • But fixing this issue is wholly within the power of Gulf states, and the Salalah effort demonstrates there is some interest in doing so.
    — ALLISON MINOR, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of fix

Browse Nearby Words

sterility
sterilize
sterilized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sterilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sterilize. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wraith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All