1
as in contamination
the action or process of making the environment dirty or harmful
The company designed devices to reduce the pollution of the world's oceans.
Related Words
Relevance
2
as in corruption
something that makes (someone) less pure, honest, or moral
They refused to let their children play violent video games, believing that they caused pollution in a developing mind.
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pollution
Do your part to stop pollution by bringing this toxic trash to the library.
—
Sarah Z. Sleeper, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Greenpeace members scaled a chemical plant's smokestack to protest toxic pollution in 1981, and occupied a North Sea oil platform in 1995.
—CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Residents’ concerns have centered around how the project will impact livability in the surrounding neighborhoods, with multiple people speaking about potential light, noise and air pollution.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2026
The options to deal with the crude oil are either burn it and produce high levels of smoke and pollution in the process, or leave it to destroy habitats and kill wildlife.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pollution
Sarah Z. Sleeper, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Greenpeace members scaled a chemical plant's smokestack to protest toxic pollution in 1981, and occupied a North Sea oil platform in 1995.
—CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
Residents’ concerns have centered around how the project will impact livability in the surrounding neighborhoods, with multiple people speaking about potential light, noise and air pollution.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2026
The options to deal with the crude oil are either burn it and produce high levels of smoke and pollution in the process, or leave it to destroy habitats and kill wildlife.
—Devika Rao, TheWeek, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pollution
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pollution
Noun
-
Smelting left legacies of environmental contamination in the air, in the ground and in houses across Arizona.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Over 55,000 pounds of blueberries were recalled for risk of potentially fatal listeria contamination.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
It isn’t accompanied with authorities investigating disappearances, murders, corruption or even necessarily halting the flow of drugs.—
Angélica Durán-Martínez,
The Conversation,
24 Feb. 2026
-
But this candid and absorbing memoir is also a stark reminder of the corruptions of power, the uncertainties of revolution and the frequent viciousness of human nature.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Over the past five years, more than 100 billion gallons of pollutants have been discharged into the Tijuana River, according to the contract.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The model shows how stormwater washes everyday pollutants found on the roads to the farms into the town's rivers and streams.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pollution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pollution. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
