Meaning & use
disinfecting
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“disinfecting” is a form of “disinfect”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Cleaning something with a chemical in order to kill germs and stop infection.
Grammar: Takes an object: disinfect the counter. The -ing form can also be a noun: disinfecting is important.
Patterns
- disinfect something
- disinfect something with something
She spent the morning disinfecting the bathroom after her son was sick.
Hospital staff are responsible for disinfecting all the equipment between patients.
Disinfecting the wound quickly can prevent a serious infection.
noununcountable
The act or process of using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces or objects.
Grammar: Used as a gerund (uncountable): Disinfecting takes time. No plural form.
Patterns
- disinfecting of something
- thorough disinfecting
Regular disinfecting of high-touch surfaces helps reduce the spread of viruses.
The disinfecting of the entire school took three days.
Word forms
| third person singular | disinfects |
|---|---|
| past tense | disinfected |
| past participle | disinfected |
| present participle / gerund | disinfecting |
Common combinations
- disinfect a wound
- You should disinfect the wound before putting on a bandage.
- disinfect a surface
- Please disinfect the kitchen surface after preparing raw chicken.
- disinfect equipment
- The clinic disinfects its equipment after every use.
- thoroughly disinfect
- They thoroughly disinfected the classroom overnight.
- disinfect with bleach
- She disinfected the floor with bleach.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sanitize
- Sanitize means to reduce germs to a safe level, often for food or hands; disinfect is stronger and kills most germs on surfaces.
- sterilize
- Sterilize means to remove all living microorganisms, used for medical tools; disinfect is less complete and more common in homes.
- clean
- Clean just means to remove dirt; it does not necessarily kill germs, so it is weaker than disinfect.
Opposites
Word family
- disinfectant noun
- A chemical liquid or spray used to kill germs.
- disinfection noun
- The process of killing germs with chemicals.
- disinfected adjective
- Having been cleaned with a germ-killing substance.
Commonly confused: disinfecting or disinfectant? disinfecting or disinfest?
disinfecting vs disinfectant
Disinfectant is the substance (a noun); disinfecting is the action or process (a verb form or gerund).
disinfecting vs disinfest
Disinfest means to remove insects or pests, while disinfect means to kill germs.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'disinfecting' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 1 uses 'disinfecting' as a gerund (the action of disinfecting a wound), which is correct. Option 0 is wrong because the substance is 'disinfectant', not 'disinfecting'. Option 2 is wrong because 'disinfecting' is not a substance. Option 3 is wrong because 'disinfecting' is not a countable noun for a chemical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “disinfecting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.