pollute

verb

pol·​lute pə-ˈlüt 

polluted; polluting

transitive verb

1

a

: to make ceremonially or morally impure : defile

b

: debase sense 1

… using language to deceive or mislead pollutes language.

—Linda C. Lederman

2

a

: to make physically impure or unclean : befoul, dirty

b

: to contaminate (an environment) especially with chemical or manufacturing waste

polluter noun

pollutive

pə-ˈlü-tiv 

adjective

Synonyms of pollute

• contaminate
• poison
• taint

Choose the Right Synonym for pollute

contaminate, taint, pollute, defile mean to make impure or unclean.

contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

Examples of pollute in a Sentence

Miles of beaches were polluted by the oil spill.

Car exhaust pollutes the air.

Recent Examples on the Web

This is because hot sunny conditions also aid the formation of super pollutants, like tropospheric zone, black carbon and methane, which pollute the air, causing impacting human health and damage to crops. —Jamie Hailstone, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

In a highly unusual move, the US Justice Department has urged a federalcourt to throw out a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s company xAI for its use of polluting gas turbines — sparking concerns the government is trying to undermine the ability of individuals or communities to sue polluters. —Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 17 June 2026

Now, new clean technology, known as direct reduction, is fast replacing the old, obsolete blast furnaces that have been polluting our community for more than 100 years. —Lori Latham, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026

Perversely, this exemption may encourage companies to switch to highly-polluting diesel engines to avoid idling fines. —Chris Hartmann, New York Daily News, 16 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin pollutus, past participle of polluere, from por- (akin to Latin per through) + -luere (akin to Latin lutum mud, Greek lyma dirt, defilement) — more at for

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for pollute

• acute
• aleut
• astute
• beetroot
• breadfruit
• cheroot
• commute
• compute
• confute
• dilute
• dispute
• elute

Kids Definition

pollute

verb

pol·​lute pə-ˈlüt 

polluted; polluting

: to make impure

especially : to spoil (as a natural resource) with waste made by humans

industrial wastes polluted the river

Medical Definition

pollute

transitive verb

pol·​lute pə-ˈlüt 

polluted; polluting

1

: to make physically impure or unclean

2

: to contaminate (an environment) especially with anthropogenic waste

polluter noun

pollutive

-ˈlüt-iv 

adjective