Meaning & use
disinfect
Last updated
Meaning
verbtransitive
To kill germs on a surface or object with a chemical substance.
Grammar: Takes an object: disinfect the counter.
Patterns
- disinfect something
- disinfect something with something
She disinfected the kitchen counter after preparing raw chicken.
The nurse disinfected the wound before bandaging it.
You should disinfect your phone screen regularly.
Word forms
| third person singular | disinfects |
|---|---|
| past tense | disinfected |
| past participle | disinfected |
| -ing form | disinfecting |
Common combinations
- disinfect a surface
- Please disinfect the surface before you put the food there.
- disinfect with bleach
- They disinfected the bathroom with bleach.
- thoroughly disinfect
- The team thoroughly disinfected the entire room.
- disinfect equipment
- All medical equipment must be disinfected after use.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sanitize
- Sanitize means to reduce germs to a safe level, while disinfect means to kill most germs, often with stronger chemicals.
- sterilize
- Sterilize means to remove or kill all forms of life, including bacteria and viruses, which is stronger than disinfect.
- clean
- Clean means to remove dirt or mess, but it does not necessarily kill germs like disinfect does.
Opposites
Word family
- disinfectant noun
- A chemical substance used to kill germs.
- disinfection noun
- The process of killing germs.
Commonly confused: disinfect or sanitize?
disinfect vs sanitize
Sanitize means to make something clean and safe by reducing germs, while disinfect means to kill germs, often using stronger chemicals.
Practice
After treating a patient, the doctor ___ the examination table.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'disinfected' is needed because the action happened after treating the patient. 'Disinfect' is the base form, 'disinfecting' is the -ing form, and 'disinfects' is present tense, which does not fit the past time reference.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “disinfect”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.