noun · 7 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.
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Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:S T EH2 R AH0 L AH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:S T EH2 R AH0 L IH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The process of treating something to kill or inactivate microorganisms.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, uncountable
Examples
Heat sterilization is used during canning so the food can be safely stored for long periods.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A procedure to permanently prevent an organism from reproducing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, uncountable
Examples
Spaying a cat is a form of sterilization to limit the population growth.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An instance of a sterilization procedure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, countable
Examples
The vet performed several sterilizations this week.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A monetary policy operation used to offset a foreign exchange intervention.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, uncountable
Examples
The Federal Reserve is responsible for foreign exchange sterilization.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The process of permanently rendering a planet like Earth completely uninhabitable to all life, including even microbes, leading to their complete extinction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, uncountable
Examples
In about 1 billion years, the increasing heat from the Sun as it gradually ages, by triggering a runaway greenhouse effect that will boil away the oceans, will lead to the complete sterilization of all life on Earth.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sterilisation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cleaning, cleansing, cleanup
Narrower terms: pasteurization, pasteurisation
7
noun
Meaning 7
the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sterilisation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: operation, surgery, surgical operation, surgical procedure, surgical process
