DECONTAMINATE Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

decontaminate

verb

Definition of decontaminate

as in to clean

to remove dirty or dangerous substances (such as radioactive material) from (a person, thing, place, etc.) Special workers were called in to decontaminate the area after the oil spill.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of decontaminate The wire seals certify a vessel had either been decontaminated and inspected for invasive species or was last launched in the Lake Tahoe basin, agency officials said in a news release. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026 Specialist teams came to retrieve the body and decontaminate the roadside, while his family members stood around and wept. — Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 15 June 2026 Officials have decontaminated the facility’s inmate housing as a precaution and medical staff are monitoring prisoners and staff, The Mercury News reported. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026 All first responders and equipment involved in the operation had to be decontaminated, officials said. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for decontaminate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate

Verb

No blood was found on Machado’s body, which Lew said meant she had been cleaned.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
One of Stallone's earliest gigs was cleaning the lion cages at Central Park Zoo.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of clean

Verb

Those rights give it additional control, including the ability to wipe the device if someone tries to uninstall it.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Spray the window with the solution and squeegee the window from top to bottom, then wipe around the edges of the window with a lint-free microfiber cloth.

— Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of wipe

Verb

Voting rights experts have expressed concern that misuse of the data could lead to legitimate voters being purged from rolls.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Existing law also blocks most states from systematically purging voters from their rolls within 90 days of an election, said David Becker, an election law expert who leads the Center for Election Innovation and Research.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of purge

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deconstructs

decontaminate

decontaminated

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“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of decontaminate

verb

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