as in polluting
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 contaminating
Some medical clinics advertise microdosing Zepbound by drawing up less than the full amount in the single-use vial, but this has not been studied, and there is a risk of contaminating the vial by using it more than once.
—
Jody Dushay, STAT, 29 May 2026
That threatened nearby water supplies, the agency found, by contaminating groundwaters above federal safety standards.
—ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
This includes information flowing in directions nobody mapped, assumptions contaminating processes nobody audited and outputs consumed by systems nobody connected on paper.
—Barbara Wittmann, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Investigators eventually suspected that the bacteria were airborne and had infected people after contaminating the air conditioning system at the convention hotel.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
But as the months wore on, the agency never stated explicitly that the mysterious substance contaminating the Merediths’ home was the byproduct of oil and gas production.
—Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 18 May 2026
For every grousing old-timer who felt that Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was contaminating the genre came another who expressed sheer joy that such a show even existed.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
Over the years, villagers in Roko-Roko held demonstrations, accusing the mining company of clearing community farmland and contaminating a local spring.
—NPR, 7 May 2026
Leaders said the leak resulted in 20,000 gallons of fuel being released, contaminating the soil outside the base at the waters of nearby Piscataway Creek.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Jody Dushay, STAT, 29 May 2026
That threatened nearby water supplies, the agency found, by contaminating groundwaters above federal safety standards.
—ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
This includes information flowing in directions nobody mapped, assumptions contaminating processes nobody audited and outputs consumed by systems nobody connected on paper.
—Barbara Wittmann, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Investigators eventually suspected that the bacteria were airborne and had infected people after contaminating the air conditioning system at the convention hotel.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
But as the months wore on, the agency never stated explicitly that the mysterious substance contaminating the Merediths’ home was the byproduct of oil and gas production.
—Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 18 May 2026
For every grousing old-timer who felt that Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was contaminating the genre came another who expressed sheer joy that such a show even existed.
—Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
Over the years, villagers in Roko-Roko held demonstrations, accusing the mining company of clearing community farmland and contaminating a local spring.
—NPR, 7 May 2026
Leaders said the leak resulted in 20,000 gallons of fuel being released, contaminating the soil outside the base at the waters of nearby Piscataway Creek.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminating
Verb
-
As a brand built on ethical fashion on a mission to improve the industry, Everlane—and its CEO—has sold its soul to the devil by associating itself with one (if not the) most polluting fast-fashion player in the world.—
Clara Ludmir,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Engineers and safety experts are solving problems in a new technology that gets us off expensive and polluting fossil fuels.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
Four people have died in California as a result of the amatoxin poisoning outbreak.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminating. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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