euthanize

[ yoo-thuh-nahyz ]

verb (used with object),eu·tha·nized, eu·tha·niz·ing.
  1. to subject to euthanasia: to euthanize injured animals.

Origin of euthanize

1
First recorded in 1960–65; euthan(asia) + -ize
  • Also especially British, eu·tha·nise .
  • Rarely eu·than·a·tize [yoo-than-uh-tahyz]; /yuˈθæn əˌtaɪz/; especially British, eu·than·a·tise .

Words Nearby euthanize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use euthanize in a sentence

  • The three-drug formula, Alper writes, is “less reliable, and therefore less humane, than the method used to euthanize animals.”

    Executed Like a Dog | Ben Crair | November 13, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for euthanize

euthanize

euthanise Austral euthanaze or euthanase (ˈjuːθəˌneɪz)

/ (ˈjuːθəˌnaɪz) /


verb
  1. (tr) to kill (a person or animal) painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illness

Origin of euthanize

1
C20: back formation from euthanasia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012