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
The firestorm ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena, killing 31, destroying more than 16,000 structures and contaminating others with toxins and heavy metals.
—
Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
You and your daughter are fitted with masks before you are brought in through a side door to avoid contaminating the waiting room, and then herded into an isolated negative-pressure room designed to prevent the aerosolized virus from traveling into the hall.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Thousands of Princeton undergraduates took it upon themselves to search the nearby woods, despite official concerns about contaminating potential evidence.
—Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
Millions of gallons of untreated wastewater flow daily from Mexico’s Tijuana River across the border into the United States, contaminating beaches near Imperial Beach and exposing nearby communities to toxic gases including hydrogen sulfide.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Researchers should move away from ad hoc disclosure that risks contaminating results and toward systems that earn trust both in the public sphere and the academic realm.
—Ian Reardon, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
When checking your freezer, inspect glass jars and containers for cracks, which can lead to glass shards contaminating food.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 31 Jan. 2026
As a result, sewage blockages and overflows became widespread, increasing the risk of wastewater contaminating drinking water sources and heightening the likelihood of outbreaks of diarrhea, hepatitis A and other waterborne diseases in an already vulnerable community.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In the lead- and zinc-rich northeast, mining can release acidic drainage caused by oxidation of sulfide minerals, which can leach heavy metals from mining waste, contaminating waterways.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
You and your daughter are fitted with masks before you are brought in through a side door to avoid contaminating the waiting room, and then herded into an isolated negative-pressure room designed to prevent the aerosolized virus from traveling into the hall.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2026
Thousands of Princeton undergraduates took it upon themselves to search the nearby woods, despite official concerns about contaminating potential evidence.
—Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
Millions of gallons of untreated wastewater flow daily from Mexico’s Tijuana River across the border into the United States, contaminating beaches near Imperial Beach and exposing nearby communities to toxic gases including hydrogen sulfide.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Researchers should move away from ad hoc disclosure that risks contaminating results and toward systems that earn trust both in the public sphere and the academic realm.
—Ian Reardon, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
When checking your freezer, inspect glass jars and containers for cracks, which can lead to glass shards contaminating food.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 31 Jan. 2026
As a result, sewage blockages and overflows became widespread, increasing the risk of wastewater contaminating drinking water sources and heightening the likelihood of outbreaks of diarrhea, hepatitis A and other waterborne diseases in an already vulnerable community.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In the lead- and zinc-rich northeast, mining can release acidic drainage caused by oxidation of sulfide minerals, which can leach heavy metals from mining waste, contaminating waterways.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminating
Verb
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Others live and work near polluting freeways.—
Dorany Pineda,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Japan, one of the world's top carbon emitters, plans to ship emissions from its heavily polluting industries –– spanning electric power, oil refining, cement, shipping and steel –– to Malaysia within the next few years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There are even tales of them poisoning people and holding funerals for their dead.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Officials in both Hong Kong and Beijing defended the case against Lai, with the city’s leader John Lee accusing the newspaper of inciting violence and poisoning young minds.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminating. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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