disinfectant
- noun
- /ˌdɪsɪnˈfɛktənt/
- Affected porous wall materials need to be treated with a disinfectant and evaluated for replacement.
- chlorine disinfectants
- chemical disinfectants
- disinfectant wipe
So just any household disinfectant will work.
- So just any household disinfectant will work.
- And so in some ways, it's, as Justice Brandeis said, sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Examples
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To prevent the spread of germs, always use a disinfectant on frequently touched surfaces.
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Now I know for you, this probably seems like a perfectly normal way to deal with a situation, but here in North America we don't clean up messes with newspapers, we use disinfectant and a mop.
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Wow, it smells like really good bathroom disinfectant.
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Some antique rubber museum piece that you can still smell the disinfectant on.
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We'll just get some disinfectant and some gauze, okay?
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In this study, we show that bacteria are present and disinfectants are effective.
Academic text (2009) -
Nevertheless, chlorine is still one of the cheapest and most effective disinfectants in use today.
Academic text (2007) -
Inside, a municipal room: flaking gray paint, the fumes of disinfectant rising from the wood floor.
Fiction book (2002) -
The hospital smell, the smell of sickness and disinfectant, seeped everywhere, even into this clean beige cubicle.
Fiction book (1990) -
The water smelled so strongly of disinfectant, grime, and urine that Lucas had to pinch his nose.
Fiction book (2002)
Synonyms
A strong liquid used to make things white and kill germs
A product that kills germs on hands and surfaces
A medicine or substance that kills bacteria and stops their growth
A substance that kills germs that can make people sick
A chemical that kills all germs and makes things free of bacteria and viruses
A substance that kills or stops the growth of germs that cause disease
A thing like heat, light or a chemical that kills germs and prevents their growth
A chemical that kills bacteria or stops them growing
A chemical that kills bacteria on surfaces and in liquids
Antonyms
How Effective
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Disinfectant begins with dis- meaning 'not' and the root infect meaning 'to cause disease', as in infection. So a disinfectant is a thing that makes surfaces 'not infected' by killing germs and helping to prevent illness.