| v. t. | 1. | To make sterile or unproductive; to impoverish, as land; to exhaust of fertility. |
| 2. | (Biol.) To deprive of the power of reproducing; to render incapable of germination or fecundation; to make sterile. | |
| 3. | (Microbiology, Medicine) To destroy all spores or germs in (an organic fluid or mixture) or on (a medical instrument), as by heat, so as to prevent contamination by bacteria or other organisms. A common method of sterilization in laboratories and medical facilities is to heat a liquid sample or an instrument in an autoclave. | |
| 4. | To destroy all spores or germs on (a surface) by wetting with an antiseptic liquid, such as an alcoholic solution. |
| Verb | 1. | sterilize - make free from bacteria Synonyms: sterilise |
| 2. | sterilize - make infertile; "in some countries, people with genetically transmissible disbilites are sterilized" |