sanitation

noun

san·​i·​ta·​tion ˌsa-nə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act or process of making sanitary

2

: the promotion of hygiene and prevention of disease by maintenance of sanitary conditions (as by removal of sewage and trash)

—often used attributively

a sanitation truck

sanitation workers

Examples of sanitation in a Sentence

Diseases can spread from poor sanitation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Rahman also shares that employers can also allow: hybrid models of work when women may have extreme pain or erratic bleeding, feminine sanitation products availability, flexibility with uniforms, and being able to have rooms that are temperature-controlled or access to colder areas. —Taylor Lane, Flow Space, 18 Mar. 2025

Public health measures including sanitation, vaccination, quarantining the infected individual and isolating people considered to be at risk will also be key in reducing the risk of spread. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025

The snow let up at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, according to the city sanitation department — pivoting into freezing rain and eventually a light drizzle in the morning before drying up before noon. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025

The first part of this initiative was a country-by-country review of existing aid flows in standard areas like food and sanitation. —Jake Bittle, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sanitation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

sanitation

noun

san·​i·​ta·​tion ˌsan-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act or process of making sanitary

2

: the promotion of community hygiene and disease prevention especially by keeping up sewage systems, by collecting and disposing of trash and garbage, and by cleaning streets

Medical Definition

sanitation

noun

san·​i·​ta·​tion ˌsan-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act or process of making sanitary

2

: the promotion of hygiene and prevention of disease by maintenance of sanitary conditions

mouth sanitation