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
Toxic materials, including mercury used to extract gold from ore, pour into rivers, contaminating the water and harming the workers, wildlife and surrounding communities that rely on local fish and wildfire.
—
Antonio MacHado Allison, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
Don't risk contaminating the soil, starting a fire, or worse to remove a stump.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
Researchers avoided contaminating the samples with other plastics by substituting standard tools with those made of aluminum, cotton and other non-plastic material, the release noted.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026
And crews cannot use pressure washers or sandblasting to remove the graffiti because of concern of contaminating the beach or ocean.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Can ice really act as a contaminating vector?
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 27 Feb. 2026
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
Antonio MacHado Allison, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
Don't risk contaminating the soil, starting a fire, or worse to remove a stump.
—Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026
Researchers avoided contaminating the samples with other plastics by substituting standard tools with those made of aluminum, cotton and other non-plastic material, the release noted.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026
And crews cannot use pressure washers or sandblasting to remove the graffiti because of concern of contaminating the beach or ocean.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Can ice really act as a contaminating vector?
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 27 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminating
Verb
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The lawsuit accused Sacramento of creating a public nuisance and violating a Fish and Game Code section prohibiting polluting California’s waters.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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In 1991, during the Gulf War, Iraq intentionally released hundreds of millions of barrels of oil into the Persian Gulf, polluting the water used by Gulf desalination plants.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Chronic mold poisoning our children.—
Sumathy Kumar,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Through the years, there have been more oil spills, but also toxic algae blooms poisoning sea creatures with domoic acid and disease outbreaks, unusual stranding events that would fill the center to maximum capacity.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminating. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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