sterilize Hear it!

sterilize definition

steri·lize (ster′ə līz′)

transitive verb sterilized -·lized′, sterilizing -·liz′·ing

to make sterile; specif.,
  1. to make incapable of producing others of its kind, as by removing the organs of reproduction or preventing them from functioning effectively
  2. to make (land) unproductive
  3. to free from living microorganisms, as by subjecting to great heat or chemical action
Also Chiefly Brit.sterilise ster′i·lise′

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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