sterilize

verb
UK: /ˈster.ɪ.laɪz/
US: /ˈster.ə.laɪz/

  1. To make something completely clean and free from bacteria.

    1. We must sterilize the baby's bottles every day to keep them safe.
    2. The hospital uses high temperatures to sterilize surgical instruments before each operation.

  2. To make a person or animal unable to produce young.

    1. The vet will sterilize the cat to prevent her from having kittens.
    2. Many animal shelters sterilize pets before they are adopted to help control the population.

Synonyms

disinfect sanitize castrate desex aseptic barren
sterilize adjective

  1. Having been subjected to a process that destroys all living microorganisms.

    1. Sterile bandages are vital for preventing infection in open wounds.
    2. The lab requires a sterile environment to conduct experiments without contamination affecting results.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "sterilize" in English means: To make something completely clean and free from bacteria., To make a person or animal unable to produce young..

The phonetic transcription of "sterilize" is /ˈster.ɪ.laɪz/ in British English and /ˈster.ə.laɪz/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "sterilize": disinfect, sanitize, castrate, desex, aseptic, barren.

Example usage of "sterilize": "We must sterilize the baby's bottles every day to keep them safe.". More examples on the page.