disinfect

disinfect — verb

1. to apply a chemical substance to a surface or object in order to destroy germs,

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to apply a chemical substance to a surface or object in order to destroy germs, bacteria, or other microorganisms that can cause illness.

例句

Ziad used an antiseptic wipe to disinfect his cut finger before bandaging it.

collocation: disinfect a wound

The hospital staff disinfect all surgical instruments between each operation to prevent infection.

passive: be disinfected between uses

同義詞
  • sanitize

    similar in meaning but often refers to reducing germs to a safe level rather than killing all of them; common for food-contact surfaces

  • sterilize

    stronger; means killing ALL microorganisms including spores, usually through heat or high-pressure steam

  • decontaminate

    broader; can refer to removing harmful substances including chemicals and radiation, not just germs

反義詞
  • contaminate

    to make something dirty or harmful by adding a dangerous substance or germs

  • infect

    to cause a person, animal, or surface to have a disease or harmful microorganisms

文法句型

disinfect + object

disinfect + object + with + substance

be disinfected

用法筆記

Distinguish from 'clean': disinfecting specifically targets germs and microorganisms, while cleaning removes dirt and grime but does not necessarily kill germs. A product labeled 'antibacterial' or 'disinfectant' is needed for disinfection.

常見錯誤

❌I disinfected the floor by sweeping it.
✅I disinfected the floor by wiping it with a bleach solution.
💡sweeping removes dirt but does not kill bacteria; disinfecting requires a chemical agent that destroys germs.
❌Washing your hands with plain water disinfects them.
✅Washing your hands with soap and water or using hand sanitiser disinfects them.
💡plain water alone does not kill most bacteria and viruses.

2. to use a program, such as antivirus software, to find and remove a computer viru

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to use a program, such as antivirus software, to find and remove a computer virus or other harmful code from a device or system.

例句

Harper downloaded an antivirus tool to disinfect her laptop after clicking a suspicious email link.

collocation: disinfect a computer / laptop

The IT technician ran several programs to disinfect the office network after the malware attack.

同義詞
  • clean

    more general term; 'cleaning' a computer can refer to removing unwanted files, while 'disinfecting' specifically targets viruses and malware

  • scan

    checking for viruses without necessarily removing them; a scan is the first step, disinfecting includes removal

文法句型

disinfect + object

disinfect + object + with + program

be disinfected

用法筆記

Often used with technical terms as the object: system, network, device, drive. The passive construction ('the computer was disinfected') is particularly common in IT support contexts.

常見錯誤

❌I disinfected my computer by deleting old files from the desktop.
✅I disinfected my computer by running a full antivirus scan.
💡deleting files does not remove viruses; a specialised security program must detect and eliminate the malicious code.