disinfection

noun

dis·​in·​fec·​tion ˌdis-in-ˈfek-shən 

plural disinfections

: the act of disinfecting something

especially : the process of using a disinfectant to destroy, inactivate, or significantly reduce the concentration of pathogenic agents (such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi)

Both viruses are susceptible to disinfection by a weak solution of chlorine bleach.

—Margaret Reister

… a virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads beyond hospital walls, some communities are taking extreme measures such as closing schools for disinfection.

—Laura Landro

Examples of disinfection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The state’s Department of Agriculture and Markets issued the order, which requires the roughly 80 markets in New York City and Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties to sell their inventory, conduct cleaning and disinfection and remain closed for five days afterward. —Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2025

To keep the sickness from spreading, the crew on the ship increased cleaning and disinfection procedures. —Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2025

Each uninfected market must sell down all inventory, undergo thorough cleaning and disinfection and then remain closed for at least five days. —Carma Hassan, CNN, 7 Feb. 2025

The order requires market owners to sell or otherwise remove all live birds and conduct a thorough cleaning and disinfection of their facilities—even if bird flu wasn't detected there. —Alice Park, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1722, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for disinfection

• circumspection
• disaffection
• disconnection
• dorsiflexion
• imperfection
• indirection
• insurrection
• intellection
• interjection
• intersection
• introjection
• introspection