Meaning & use
deodorize
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Meaning
verbtransitive
To remove or hide an unpleasant smell from something.
Grammar: Takes an object: deodorize the room. Often used in the passive: The car was deodorized.
Patterns
- deodorize something
- deodorize a room
- deodorize the air
We need to deodorize the car after carrying the dog.
She used a spray to deodorize the bathroom.
The cleaning crew deodorized the carpets with a special machine.
Word forms
| third person singular | deodorizes |
|---|---|
| past tense | deodorized |
| past participle | deodorized |
| present participle | deodorizing |
Common combinations
- deodorize a room
- Open the windows to deodorize the room naturally.
- deodorize the air
- This machine deodorizes the air in large spaces.
- deodorize shoes
- Sprinkle baking soda inside to deodorize shoes.
- deodorize a carpet
- They used a powder to deodorize the carpet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- freshen
- Freshen means making something feel or smell clean and new; deodorize focuses only on removing bad smells.
- disinfect
- Disinfect kills germs; deodorize only removes or masks smells and does not kill germs.
- sanitize
- Sanitize means cleaning to remove germs; deodorize is only about smell.
Opposites
Word family
- deodorant noun
- A product that hides body odor.
- deodorizer noun
- A substance or device that removes smells.
- deodorization noun
- The process of removing smells.
Commonly confused: deodorize or disinfect?
deodorize vs disinfect
Disinfect kills germs on surfaces; deodorize only removes or hides unpleasant smells.
Practice
Which sentence uses deodorize correctly?
Choose one answer.
Deodorize takes the place or thing you clean as its object, so 'deodorize the kitchen' is correct. You do not deodorize a smell itself, and the other options use wrong prepositions or structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deodorize”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.