Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Destroying or inhibiting the growth of bacteria.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Preventing the action or development of bacteria.
  • Opposed to the theory that certain diseases are caused by the presence of bacteria.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Med.) a chemical substance which kills or inhibits the growth of bacteria.
  • adjective archaic, archaic killing or inhibiting the growth of bacteria; -- applied also to serum for protection against bacterial diseases.
  • adjective archaic Opposed to the bacterial theory of disease.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Killing or inhibiting bacteria
  • noun pharmacology A drug having the effect of killing or inhibiting bacteria.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective destroying bacteria or inhibiting their growth
  • noun any drug that destroys bacteria or inhibits their growth

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

anti- +‎ bacterial

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Examples

  • These companies put alcohol in their mouthwash as a flavor carrier, to provide some "burn and bite," and to give a short-term antibacterial shot to your mouth (and it is short-term ... trust me; mouthwash is not necessary, or even very effective, in combating bad breath or the like.)

    Thomas P. Connelly, D.D.S.: Mouth Health: Does My '50 Proof' Alcohol Mouthwash Increase My Cancer Risk ? 2010

  • They douse their children’s hands in antibacterial gel.

    The worms will save us all. « A Bird’s Nest 2009

  • They douse their children’s hands in antibacterial gel.

    2009 January « A Bird’s Nest 2009

  • The main ingredients in the product—water, aloe vera, calendula, glycerin, vitamin E—were soothing and probably benign but the essential oils described as antibacterial might have been the irritant.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • The main ingredients in the product—water, aloe vera, calendula, glycerin, vitamin E—were soothing and probably benign but the essential oils described as antibacterial might have been the irritant.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is antibacterial, which is why it is in gums that dentists recommend.

    Food trends from Expo West | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. 2009

  • The main ingredients in the product—water, aloe vera, calendula, glycerin, vitamin E—were soothing and probably benign but the essential oils described as antibacterial might have been the irritant.

    Simple Skin Beauty Ellen Marmur 2009

  • A lot of people pay a lot of money for those soaps that are called antibacterial specifically, and for good reason.

    CNN Transcript Aug 28, 2007 2007

  • "The public deserves to know that these so-called antibacterial products are no more effective in preventing infections than regular soap and water and may, in fact, be dangerous to their health in the long run."

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • "The public deserves to know that these so-called antibacterial products are no more effective in preventing infections than regular soap and water and may, in fact, be dangerous to their health in the long run."

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

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