sterilize

verb

Definition of sterilizenext
as in to alter

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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 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 Researchers raise the flies by the millions, sterilize the males with radiation, and release them in overwhelming numbers. — Ethan Stone, AZCentral.com, 17 June 2026 Scientists irradiate male flies to sterilize them, then release them by the million. — Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 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
  • Because of the shift in approach, with only weekend games assured of both pregame and postgame shows, the Heat also are altering their approach with their broadcast talent.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This interpersonal drama, about the fallout of a drug dealer (Edward Norton) going to prison, was deep in development when real-life events altered its trajectory.
    — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of alter
Verb
  • Weight gain is especially common after cats are spayed or neutered because hormonal changes can lower their metabolism and activity levels.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • All adoption-able pets at Humane Indiana are vaccinated, tested for heartworm, dewormed, microchipped, given flea/tick and heartworm prevention, and spayed or neutered.
    — Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 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
  • New York Yankees fans spent the last three months convincing themselves that Aaron Judge riding in like the White Knight was going to fix every single problem in the Bronx.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026
  • North Carolina Bobby Petrino has fixed all the offensive ills.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of fix

Browse Nearby Words

sterility
sterilize
sterilized
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Cite this Entry

“Sterilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sterilize. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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