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
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
The destruction released up to 30,000 tons of oil into the Mediterranean, contaminating 170 kilometers of Lebanese coastline.
—Josiane Yazbeck, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
Still contaminating air, livestock and humans are more than 500 unreclaimed uranium mines on Navajo land.
—Zak Podmore, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
The case, filed in 2005 by then-Attorney General Drew Edmondson, accused some of the nation’s largest poultry companies of contaminating the Illinois River Watershed (a river system in northeastern Oklahoma, not to be confused with the Illinois River that runs through the state of Illinois).
—Juan Vassallo, Oklahoman, 16 Jan. 2026
The juices might drip onto the shelves below, contaminating produce and leaving you with a sticky mess to clean up.
—Kristin Corpuz, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2026
The estimated volume of wastewater contaminating the San Gabriel River is more than 100,000 gallons, per the release.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
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
The destruction released up to 30,000 tons of oil into the Mediterranean, contaminating 170 kilometers of Lebanese coastline.
—Josiane Yazbeck, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
Still contaminating air, livestock and humans are more than 500 unreclaimed uranium mines on Navajo land.
—Zak Podmore, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
The case, filed in 2005 by then-Attorney General Drew Edmondson, accused some of the nation’s largest poultry companies of contaminating the Illinois River Watershed (a river system in northeastern Oklahoma, not to be confused with the Illinois River that runs through the state of Illinois).
—Juan Vassallo, Oklahoman, 16 Jan. 2026
The juices might drip onto the shelves below, contaminating produce and leaving you with a sticky mess to clean up.
—Kristin Corpuz, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2026
The estimated volume of wastewater contaminating the San Gabriel River is more than 100,000 gallons, per the release.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminating
Verb
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Due to these conditions, the region is highly reliant on expensive and polluting diesel fuel transported by truck, plane, or barge.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
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Florida’s approach for policing water contamination amounts to an honor system that protects polluting industries — including agriculture and development, whose representatives lobby heavily in Tallahassee, the Times found.—
Bethany Barnes,
Miami Herald,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Then Lord Blackwood tries to enact a plan that involves poisoning much of Parliament, and he’s finally thwarted in a third-act fight sequence that plays out on top of London’s Tower Bridge, then in construction.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
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The document highlighted as an example the case of a Colorado dentist convicted of first-degree murder last year after gradually poisoning his wife with a mix of arsenic, cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the latter a medication commonly found in over-the-counter eye drops.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminating. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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