decontaminate
verb
de·con·tam·i·nate
ˌdē-kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnāt 
decontaminated; decontaminating; decontaminates
: to rid of contamination (such as radioactive material)
Examples of decontaminate in a Sentence
Special workers were called in to decontaminate the area after the oil spill.
Recent Examples on the Web
Radiation protection personnel allegedly responded to the incident quickly, pulling the worker from the water and decontaminating him safely.
—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Workers have complained of chemical burns from the waste material generated by the tunneling process, and firefighters must decontaminate their equipment after conducting rescues from the project sites.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Last week, a Democratic Congressional candidate was seen being thrown to the ground by a federal agent – the moment was captured on video – while local leaders reported having to leave the protest to decontaminate themselves after tear gas was deployed.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
There are free stations to decontaminate watercraft around the state — for more information go to the DNR website.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
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Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Workers have complained of chemical burns from the waste material generated by the tunneling process, and firefighters must decontaminate their equipment after conducting rescues from the project sites.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Last week, a Democratic Congressional candidate was seen being thrown to the ground by a federal agent – the moment was captured on video – while local leaders reported having to leave the protest to decontaminate themselves after tear gas was deployed.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
There are free stations to decontaminate watercraft around the state — for more information go to the DNR website.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decontaminate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
decontaminate
verb
de·con·tam·i·nate
ˌdē-kən-ˈtam-ə-ˌnāt
: to rid of something (as radioactive material) that contaminates
Medical Definition
decontaminate
transitive verb
de·con·tam·i·nate
ˌdē-kən-ˈtam-ə-ˌnāt
decontaminated; decontaminating
: to rid of contamination (as radioactive material)
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