Standard Lemma guide

disinfect

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪs.ɪnˈfɛkt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛkt
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 S IH0 N F EH1 K T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To sterilize by the use of cleaning agent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • disinfect a wound

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: infect

Broader terms: clean, make clean

Narrower terms: sterilize, sterilise, antisepticize, chlorinate

History

Etymology

From English dis- + infect, from Middle French desinfecter.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: дэзінфіцы́раваць (dezinficýravacʹ) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Belarusian: прадэзінфіцы́раваць (pradezinficýravacʹ) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Bulgarian: дезинфекцирам (dezinfekciram) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Bulgarian: обеззаразявам (obezzarazjavam) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Catalan: desinfectar — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Chinese Mandarin: 消毒 (xiāodú) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Danish: desinficere — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Esperanto: antisepsi — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Esperanto: desinfekti — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Finnish: desinfioida — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • French: désinfecter — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Galician: desinfectar — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • German: desinfizieren — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Greek: απολυμαίνω (apolymaíno) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Hebrew: חיטא \ חִטֵּא (khité) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Hungarian: fertőtlenít — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Italian: disinfettare — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Japanese: 消毒する (shōdoku suru) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Luxembourgish: desinfizéieren — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Malay: nyahjangkit — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Malay: nyahkuman — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Mongolian: халдваргүйжүүлэх (xaldvargüjžüülex) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Mongolian: ариутгах (ariutgax) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠯᠳᠠᠪᠤᠷᠢᠭᠦᠶᠢᠵᠢᠭᠦᠯᠬᠦ (qaldaburiɣüyiǰigülkü) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Mongolian: ᠠᠷᠢᠭᠤᠳᠬᠠᠬᠤ (ariɣudkaqu) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Norman: d'sînfecter — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Norwegian: desinfisere — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Occitan: desinfectar — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Polish: dezynfekować — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Polish: zdezynfekować — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Polish: odkażać — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Polish: odkazić — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Portuguese: desinfetar — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Russian: дезинфици́ровать (dezinficírovatʹ) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Russian: обеззара́живать (obezzaráživatʹ) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Russian: обеззара́зить (obezzarázitʹ) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Spanish: desinfectar — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Swedish: desinfektera — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Ukrainian: дезінфікува́ти (dezinfikuváty) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Ukrainian: продезінфікува́ти (prodezinfikuváty) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Ukrainian: знезара́жувати (znezarážuvaty) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Ukrainian: знезара́зити (znezarázyty) — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent
  • Volapük: sänäfätön — sterilize by the use of cleaning agent