fumigate

1 of 2

verb

fu·​mi·​gate ˈfyü-mə-ˌgāt 

fumigated; fumigating

transitive verb

: to apply smoke, vapor, or gas to especially for the purpose of disinfecting or of destroying pests

fumigation

ˌfyü-mə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

fumigator

ˈfyü-mə-ˌgā-tər 

noun

fumigation

2 of 2

noun

fu·​mi·​ga·​tion ˌfyüməˈgāshən 

plural -s

: the act or process of fumigating

fumigation of infested but irreplaceable trees

jeered at the preliminary charity bout as crass fumigation

Examples of fumigate in a Sentence

Verb

All the hospital rooms had to be fumigated.

We had to fumigate our apartment to get rid of the ants.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The facilities were fumigated and employees returned to the building, but the bedbugs came back as well. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026

The chefs worked together for several hours, first to sterilize the onggi over heated charcoal topped with a small amount of honey, which fumigate and purify the vessels. — Andrea Strong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 May 2026

The actress referenced the parent series’ Season 1 episode ‘Malcolm Babysits’, in which their house is fumigated and the family is forced to live in a tent outside. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026

Later, grandmother and granddaughter drive down a road of African palm trees, passing a lorry load of immigrants, monotonous electricity grid lines crossing the sky and workers fumigating trees, Villalobos accumulating details of a harsh contemporary world. — John Hopewell, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed from Latin fūmigātus, past participle of fūmigāre "to subject to smoke, get rid of with smoke," from fūmus "smoke" + -igāre, causative suffix, probably generalized from rēmigāre "to use oars, row," verbal derivative of rēmig-, rēmex "oarsman, rower," from rēmus "oar" + -ig-, -ex, agent noun derivative from the base of agere "to be in motion, do, perform" — more at fume entry 1, agent

Noun

Middle English fumigacioun, from Middle French fumigation, from Late Latin fumigation-, fumigatio, from Latin fumigatus + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1746, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fumigate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

fumigate

verb

fu·​mi·​gate ˈfyü-mə-ˌgāt 

fumigated; fumigating

: to apply smoke, vapor, or gas to especially for the purpose of disinfecting or of destroying pests

fumigation

ˌfyü-mə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

fumigator

ˈfyü-mə-ˌgāt-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

fumigate

transitive verb

fu·​mi·​gate ˈfyü-mə-ˌgāt 

fumigated; fumigating

: to apply smoke, vapor, or gas to especially for the purpose of disinfecting or of destroying pests

fumigation

ˌfyü-mə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

fumigator

ˈfyü-mə-ˌgāt-ər 

noun