sterilize (verb)
1sterilize — (also sterilise) ► VERB 1) make sterile. 2) deprive of the ability to produce offspring by removing or blocking the sex organs. DERIVATIVES sterilization noun …
2sterilize — verb a) To deprive a male or female the ability to procreate. b) To make unable to produce. To make unprofitable. See Also: sterile, sterilization …
3sterilize — verb 1) the scalpel was first sterilized Syn: disinfect, fumigate, decontaminate, sanitize; pasteurize; clean, cleanse, purify; technical autoclave Ant: contaminate 2) over 6.5 million people were sterilized …
4sterilize — [[t]ste̱rɪlaɪz[/t]] sterilizes, sterilizing, sterilized (in BRIT, also use sterilise) 1) VERB If you sterilize a thing or a place, you make it completely clean and free from germs. [V n] Sulphur is also used to sterilize equipment... [V n] The… …
5sterilize — UK [ˈsterəlaɪz] / US [ˈsterəˌlaɪz] verb [transitive] Word forms sterilize : present tense I/you/we/they sterilize he/she/it sterilizes present participle sterilizing past tense sterilized past participle sterilized 1) to kill all the bacteria on… …
6sterilize — transitive verb ( ized; izing) Date: 1695 to make sterile: as a. to cause (land) to become unfruitful b. (1) to deprive of the power of reproducing < surgically sterilize cats and dogs > (2) to make incapable of germination c. to make powerless… …
7sterilize — also ise BrE verb (transitive usually passive) 1 to make something completely clean and kill any bacteria in it: sterilized milk | Sterilize the bottles with boiling water. 2 to perform an operation that makes a person or animal unable to have… …
8sterilize — I (Roget s IV) v. Syn. asepticize, aseptify, antisepticize, disinfect, decontaminate, boil, autoclave, incapacitate, make sterile, pasteurize; see also clean , purify . II (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) v. 1. disinfect purify, cleanse, decontaminate …
9sterilize — ster|il|ize [ sterə,laız ] verb transitive 1. ) to kill all the bacteria on or in something and make it completely clean, for example by heating it to a very high temperature. Equipment is sterilized in a machine called a sterilizer. 2. ) to… …
10sterilize — or sterilise verb 1》 make sterile. 2》 deprive of the ability to produce offspring by removing or blocking the sex organs. Derivatives sterilizable adjective sterilization noun sterilized adjective sterilizer noun …
