as in to clean
to remove dirty or dangerous substances (such as radioactive material) from (a person, thing, place, etc.)
Special workers were called in to decontaminate the area after the oil spill.
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Recent Examples of decontaminate
Between 300 and 350 personnel at the facility were decontaminated as a precaution, officials said.
—
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025
A day earlier, sheriff’s officials sent an urgent message out to patrol cars, saying the air had become so toxic after days of wildfires that deputies should wear masks on the job and decontaminate their uniforms before stepping foot in their homes.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Between 300-350 employees were decontaminated at the site and provided Tyvek suits to return home in.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025
But now, researchers have developed a new way to take the genes from all these species and place them in a single bacterial strain that can decontaminate complex waste mixtures.
—ArsTechnica, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025
A day earlier, sheriff’s officials sent an urgent message out to patrol cars, saying the air had become so toxic after days of wildfires that deputies should wear masks on the job and decontaminate their uniforms before stepping foot in their homes.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Between 300-350 employees were decontaminated at the site and provided Tyvek suits to return home in.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025
But now, researchers have developed a new way to take the genes from all these species and place them in a single bacterial strain that can decontaminate complex waste mixtures.
—ArsTechnica, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate
Verb
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Instead, cleaning stainless steel requires a little extra TLC and a strategy designed specifically for this material.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
15 July 2025
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Three varieties rotate in and out, from briny Alaskan Gems to clean and crisp Mer Bleues to the fresh and minerally Malpeque oysters from Prince Edward Island.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Whether it's refurbished and resold or recycled for metals and rare-earths, e-waste that stores data — especially smartphones, computers, servers and some medical devices — must be wiped of sensitive information to comply with cybersecurity and environmental regulations.—
Bob Woods,
CNBC,
13 July 2025
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Take your microfiber cloth or squeegee and wipe the solution away in a circulation or Z-motion pattern.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
12 July 2025
Verb
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During a May 19 town hall meeting with NIH staff members, Jay Bhattacharya, the institute’s new director, equivocated when asked about funding cuts for research into improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities — cuts made under the guise of purging DEI from the government.—
Rachana Pradhan,
CNN Money,
8 July 2025
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All 12 seasons and 264 episodes of MSW were purged from Peacock this morning, despite the fact that the series is owned and distributed by Universal Television, sibling studio to the streamer.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the Supporting Actress category boasted the inclusion of Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Sydney Sweeney and Rothwell — almost sweeping the category save for two nominations for Dopesick actors Kaitlyn Dever and Mare Winningham.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
15 July 2025
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Will Hacks sweep again or does everybody want Nobody Wants This?—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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