- (v.t.) To make sterile or unproductive; to impoverish, as land; to exhaust of fertility.
- (v.t.) To deprive of the power of reproducing; to render incapable of germination or fecundation; to make sterile.
- (v.t.) To destroy all spores or germs in (an organic fluid or mixture), as by heat, so as to prevent the development of bacterial or other organisms.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). sterilize. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/sterilize/definitions/2066362 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "sterilize" http://smartdefine.org/sterilize/definitions/2066362 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, sterilize, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/sterilize/definitions/2066362>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "sterilize" 28 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/sterilize/definitions/2066362> |