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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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for sterilize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sterilize
  1. alter
  2. neuter
  3. castrate
  4. emasculate
  5. fix
Verb
  • The judge can alter terms of the settlement or even reject it outright, though instances of the latter have been rare.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
  • As vibrations and other changes in the Earth altered the size of the gap, Benioff recorded the changes with a transducer.
    — Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of alter
Verb
  • While Israel’s attacks on the agency neutered its role coordinating aid entry and distribution in Gaza, UNRWA’s core programs have remained.
    — Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Caring for them opened the couple’s eyes to the number of cats living outdoors in their neighborhood and how few had been spayed or neutered.
    — Meg Dunn, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 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
  • Yet, in many cases simple mending, either done yourself or at a dry cleaner shop, can fix the problem.
    — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Overcoming technical hurdles in core design Because the reactor layout is never fixed, scientists could not rely on a standard conversion design.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 24 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 28 Sep. 2026.

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