anesthetize

verb

anes·​the·​tize ə-ˈnes-thə-ˌtīz 

 British  -ˈnēs-

anesthetized; anesthetizing

transitive verb

: to subject to anesthesia

Examples of anesthetize in a Sentence

The doctor anesthetized the patient by an intravenous injection.

She was anesthetized before the operation.

Recent Examples on the Web

When Ellie — who’d been anesthetized and therefore unaware of both Joel’s actions and the danger to her — came to, Joel lied and said the experiment hadn’t worked. —Claire Franken, TVLine, 4 Aug. 2024

When they were anesthetized, however, their brains seemed to irregularly fire off much faster patterns. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, WIRED, 7 July 2024

Alhadeff and her coworkers used a microscope to observe levels of calcium—an indicator of cellular activity levels—in AP and NTS cells while mice were anesthetized. —Mitch Leslie, science.org, 10 July 2024

One of the most distinctive features of her method is her anti-oratorical speaking style, which anesthetizes commentators and diplomats alike. —Constanze Stelzenmüller, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

anesthetize

verb

anes·​the·​tize ə-ˈnes-thə-ˌtīz 

anesthetized; anesthetizing

: to make insensible to pain especially by the use of an anesthetic

Medical Definition

anesthetize

transitive verb

anes·​the·​tize

variants or chiefly British anaesthetize also anaesthetise

-thə-ˌtīz 

anesthetized or chiefly British anesthetized also anesthetised; anesthetizing or chiefly British anesthetizing also anesthetising

: to subject to anesthesia

anesthetization noun

or chiefly British anaesthetization also anaesthetisation

ə-ˌnes-thət-ə-ˈzā-shən, British -ˌnēs-