hazmat

noun

haz·​mat ˈhaz-ˌmat 

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

Did you know?

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

The Towns County Sheriff's Office says the situation ended with a highway being shut down for hours as hazmat crews worked at the scene. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Calls often include car accidents, search and rescue, downed power lines from storms, hazmat issues, medical incidents, animals caught in trees and beeping smoke detectors. — Julia Levine, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026

No one is going to want to touch you and your chunder without throwing on a hazmat suit first. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Workers in white hazmat suits unload bodies from a stream of ambulances. — Surendra Phuyal, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

hazardous material

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hazmat

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat
• tomcat

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Medical 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

hazmat storage