delouse

verb

de·​louse (ˌ)dē-ˈlau̇s How to pronounce delouse (audio)
-ˈlau̇z
deloused; delousing; delouses

transitive verb

: to remove lice from

Examples of delouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He was fingerprinted, photographed, made to strip and told to brace himself for a tub of delousing liquid. — Lizzie Presser, ProPublica, 16 Oct. 2019 Upon their arrival to Ellis Island, they were promptly doused in kerosene to delouse them after the voyage. — Rachel Linden, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025 Taking the opposing view is Alexios Mantzarlis, the head of the International Fact-Checking Network at the Poynter Institute, who is working with Facebook to delouse the News Feed of falsehoods. — Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, 10 May 2018

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of delouse was circa 1919

Rhymes for delouse

See All Rhymes for delouse

Browse Nearby Words

deloul
delouse
delph
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delouse. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

delouse

verb
de·​louse (ˈ)dē-ˈlau̇s How to pronounce delouse (audio)
-ˈlau̇z
deloused; delousing
: to remove lice from

Medical Definition

delouse

transitive verb
de·​louse (ˈ)dē-ˈlau̇s How to pronounce delouse (audio) -ˈlau̇z How to pronounce delouse (audio)
deloused; delousing
: to remove lice from
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All