sterilise /ˈstɛɹɪlaɪz/ verb5 •To kill, deactivate (denature), or destroy (break apart) all living, viable microorganisms and spores on a surface, in a fluid, or contained in a compound, such as culture media or a medical product.The bottled juice must be heated to a temperature and for a time sufficient to attain a sterilizing temperature at the coolest point, usually the center of the bottle. — 1938 •To render a planet like Earth permanently uninhabitable to all life, including even microbes, causing their complete extinction. •To deprive of the ability to procreate. •To make unable to produce; to make unprofitable. •To redact (a document), removing classified or sensitive material.[…] (minus, of course, any information that might identify the agent and other operational personnel), or he might code it or "sterilize" it, and reward the foreign station chief in some other way. — 1974 formssterilised · sterilising · sterilises