as in to pollute
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
a supply of drinking water that was contaminated by a toxic waste dump
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Recent Examples of contaminate
If state officials walk away from their soil-testing policy, some environmental experts say hundreds of homes in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades will still be contaminated, potentially exposing returning residents to toxic metals, like lead.
—
Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Symptoms of listeria infection The FDA says symptoms of listeriosis usually start within two weeks of consuming food contaminated with listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks afterwards.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 12 May 2025
The urban creek is contaminated mainly because of the numerous century-old municipal sewer lines that run under the park.
—ArsTechnica, 12 May 2025
On Mother's Day, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared photos of himself swimming alongside his grandchildren in Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek, a waterway long known to be contaminated with high levels of bacteria.
—Dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for contaminate
Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Symptoms of listeria infection The FDA says symptoms of listeriosis usually start within two weeks of consuming food contaminated with listeria but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks afterwards.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 12 May 2025
The urban creek is contaminated mainly because of the numerous century-old municipal sewer lines that run under the park.
—ArsTechnica, 12 May 2025
On Mother's Day, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared photos of himself swimming alongside his grandchildren in Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek, a waterway long known to be contaminated with high levels of bacteria.
—Dan Gooding
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for contaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminate
Verb
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In recent weeks, the flaws in the technology have crossed over into absurd territory: For example, by generating a summer reading list of fake books and legal documents polluted with serious errors and fabrications.—
Ryan Faughnder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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The Hazel Johnson ordinance grew out of a 2020 federal civil rights complaint filed by the Southeast Environmental Task Force and other groups challenging the city’s concentration of polluting industries in certain neighborhoods.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Verb
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As the film unfolds, Wilson finds out that Sterns, the movie's villain, has been the mastermind behind the entire plot and has been poisoning Ross with gamma rays via pills for years.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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Intermediately, because a member of Ethan’s team, Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) has poisoned Donloe, which results in Donloe having some pretty intense gastrointestinal reactions.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminate. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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