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

The usual analogy is that generative AI and LLMs are akin to a factory that pollutes local waters. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Our state has thousands of sites already polluted with toxic chemicals and other pollutants, and those projects affect air quality, safe drinking water and community health for millions of Californians. — Shannon Olivieri Hovis, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026

This large mass will translate into higher quantities of polluting propellant needed to loft these systems off Earth and a much larger amount of metals vaporizing in Earth's atmosphere during reentry. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Citizen suits, for example, have extracted millions from heavily polluting oil and gas operations, and ensured that lead pipes in Flint, Michigan, would be removed after its water crisis. — Michael Phillis, Fortune, 8 Aug. 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