often attributive
: a material (such as flammable or poisonous material) that would be a danger to life or to the environment if released without precautions
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The origin of "hazmat" is clear enough - it was formed by combining the first three letters of each of two words: "hazardous" and "material." The word hazmat is fairly young, first appearing in print in 1980. Although it is a noun, "hazmat" tends to be used attributively, meaning that it often appears in sentences before another noun as if it were performing the duties of an adjective (as in "hazmat team" and "hazmat worker").
Examples of hazmat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My mother, father, and little sister stood in front of me wearing hazmat suits.
—
Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2025
He’s brought into a lab to test a specimen in a hazmat suit.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 July 2025
Firefighters continued this strategy Monday, deploying heavy aerial resources and a hazmat team to mitigate the chlorine gas leak.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Decade is not nearly that strong, but anything over 140 proof is considered to be hazmat level and the FAA has banned it from being brought onboard an airplane.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hazmat
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Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2025
He’s brought into a lab to test a specimen in a hazmat suit.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 July 2025
Firefighters continued this strategy Monday, deploying heavy aerial resources and a hazmat team to mitigate the chlorine gas leak.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Decade is not nearly that strong, but anything over 140 proof is considered to be hazmat level and the FAA has banned it from being brought onboard an airplane.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hazmat
Cite this Entry
“Hazmat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hazmat. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
hazmat
noun
haz·mat
ˈhaz-ˌmat
often attributive
: a material (as radioactive, flammable, explosive, or poisonous material) that would be a danger to life or to the environment if released without necessary precautions being taken
toxic waste hauled away by workers in hazmat suits—Tom Spousta
Tom Spoustahazmat storage
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