: a colorless odorless water-insoluble insecticide C14H9Cl5 that is an aromatic organochlorine banned in the U.S. that tends to accumulate and persist in ecosystems and has toxic effects on many vertebrates

Examples of DDT in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Staff at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, which spans the river floodplain from Wabasha, Minnesota to Rock Island, Illinois, say a combination of habitat restoration projects and the banning of the pesticide DDT are allowing eagles to flourish. Journal Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2024 Clues pointing to the radioactive waste emerged in the process of sorting through this DDT history. Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Here’s the latest mind-boggling story about undersea pollution by my L.A. Times colleague Rosanna Xia, who also broke the DDT story with this epic investigation in 2020. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2024 From the 1930s to the 70s, the two sites were commonly used as dumping grounds for industrial waste, including byproducts from DDT manufacturing, a chemical used as an insecticide that was banned in 1972. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2024 After Wurster’s first DDT study was published, ecologist George Woodwell asked Wurster to join him on Long Island to fight against the spraying of DDT on the marshes. Amanda Gokee, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2023 The marine biologist and passionate writer gave powerful voice to the harmful effect of pesticides like DDT. Angelica Aboulhosn, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Nov. 2023 His grandfather was sprayed with DDT entering the country to work as a bracero in the 1950s; a great-great-uncle was Santo Toribio Romo, a Catholic martyr killed by anti-clerical government forces in Mexico in the 1920s. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023 In the 1950s and 1960s farmers, municipalities and even homeowners were widely spraying the insecticide DDT to kill pests. The Editors, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'DDT.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

dichlor- + diphenyl + trichlor- (from tri- + chlor-)

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of DDT was in 1943

Dictionary Entries Near DDT

Cite this Entry

“DDT.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DDT. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

: a colorless formerly used insecticide that is poisonous to many animals with backbones

Medical Definition

: a colorless odorless water-insoluble crystalline insecticide C14H9Cl5 that tends to accumulate in ecosystems and has toxic effects on many vertebrates

called also chlorophenothane, dicophane

More from Merriam-Webster on DDT

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