Definition of POLLUTANT

Examples of pollutant in a Sentence

filtered the pollutants out of the water

Recent Examples on the Web Nitrogen, a key nutrient for plants, is also an insidious pollutant. — Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Nitrogen crisis from jam-packed livestock operations has ‘paralyzed’ Dutch economy," 4 Dec. 2019 Fine particulate is a pollutant that can cause heart and lung problems. — USA TODAY, "Pumpkin boat, foie gras ban, library raccoons: News from around our 50 states," 31 Oct. 2019 Fine particulate, a pollutant that can cause heart and lung problems, especially among the young and the elderly, has spiked out of compliance during winter months in the Fairbanks North Star Borough for more than a decade. — Dan Joling, Anchorage Daily News, "State to submit Fairbanks clean-air plan by mid-December," 29 Oct. 2019 According to the lawsuit, the cars produced average nitrogen oxide emissions, a smog-forming pollutant, that were 19 times higher than the U.S. standard. — Anna M. Phillips, latimes.com, "As Europe orders a recall, EPA’s inquiry into Mercedes emissions drags on," 1 July 2019 In cities, more than in rural or suburban places, buildings make up a huge portion of climate-warming pollutants — anywhere from 40 to 80% of emissions. — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, "Cities are banning natural gas in new homes, citing climate change," 6 Dec. 2019 The mandates date back to the 1980s, when an amendment to the federal Clean Water Act called for elimination of pollutants in storm water. — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, "Strongsville receives $624,750 grant to replace septic tanks with sewers on Willow Lane," 22 Nov. 2019 In other words, because the waste from the well meets the groundwater en route to the sea, the county isn’t responsible for the pollutants in the Pacific that originate from its wells, even though there is evidence of the origins. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The US Supreme Court takes on the Clean Water Act, whiskey flasks, and punch," 7 Nov. 2019 But about three dozen other states also had counties that failed to meet air standards for six different pollutants, as of the end of August. — Anchorage Daily News, "Trump officials threaten to withhold funds from California for its ‘chronic air quality problems’," 24 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pollutant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

10 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Pollutant.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pollutant. Accessed 23 January 2020.