as in pollutes
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
a supply of drinking water that was contaminated by a toxic waste dump
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Recent Examples of contaminates
These cards may contain batteries or nonrecyclable material that contaminates other paper.
—
Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Untreated nitrogen often contaminates groundwater and causes algal blooms that damage ecosystems.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
Leached water from textile waste in landfills contaminates groundwater with harmful chemicals and dyes, which can alter the pH and clarity of surface water.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Utilities must have a plan in place to address instances when coal ash contaminates groundwater and make sure the contamination does not spread, according to federal requirements.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 5 Aug. 2025
Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Untreated nitrogen often contaminates groundwater and causes algal blooms that damage ecosystems.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
Leached water from textile waste in landfills contaminates groundwater with harmful chemicals and dyes, which can alter the pH and clarity of surface water.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Utilities must have a plan in place to address instances when coal ash contaminates groundwater and make sure the contamination does not spread, according to federal requirements.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminates
pollutes
Verb
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For example, forum participants said a person could sue a company or entity that pollutes a river because the river has the right to be pollution-free.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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But to isolate gold, galamsey workers typically use poisonous mercury, which pollutes drinking water and farmland and has been linked to serious illness and birth defects.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contaminates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminates. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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