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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Recent Examples of decontaminate
Contaminated Water Recreational or drinking water gets contaminated when septic tanks leak into wells, when an infected person vomits or defecates in the water, or when wastewater isn’t treated properly to decontaminate it.
—
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Dec. 2025
Radiation protection personnel allegedly responded to the incident quickly, pulling the worker from the water and decontaminating him safely.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Workers have complained of chemical burns from the waste material generated by the tunneling process, and firefighters must decontaminate their equipment after conducting rescues from the project sites.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Last week, a Democratic Congressional candidate was seen being thrown to the ground by a federal agent – the moment was captured on video – while local leaders reported having to leave the protest to decontaminate themselves after tear gas was deployed.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Dec. 2025
Radiation protection personnel allegedly responded to the incident quickly, pulling the worker from the water and decontaminating him safely.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Workers have complained of chemical burns from the waste material generated by the tunneling process, and firefighters must decontaminate their equipment after conducting rescues from the project sites.
—Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Last week, a Democratic Congressional candidate was seen being thrown to the ground by a federal agent – the moment was captured on video – while local leaders reported having to leave the protest to decontaminate themselves after tear gas was deployed.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate
Verb
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If something’s been messy or slow, take a few minutes to clean it up.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2026
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Nazarian said the property owner will be billed for clearing and cleaning the lot.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gently wipe the cabinet, paying extra attention to spots around handles and edges.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
11 Apr. 2026
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To get clean cuts of the cheesecake, use a sharp chef’s knife, run it through hot water, wipe it clean and then cut through the cake.—
Amisha Gurbani,
San Francisco Chronicle,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another bill is intended to deter frivolous challenges to a person’s right to vote and protect against efforts to illegally disqualify or purge voters (A6354 and S3233A).—
Phyllis Tashlik,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
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That landslide victory was galvanized by deadly street protests in the fall led by a Gen Z determined to purge a political old guard perceived as venal and out of touch.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ian Fernandes tallied 12 kills and four digs, while Brady Kundel had 10 kills, four aces and five digs as Barnstable (9-0) swept Brockton 3-0 in a nonleague match.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
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Apparent tornadoes touched down in the Midwest on Friday and a weekend flooding risk remains as roller-coaster weather sweeps the country, with some states experiencing summer-like temperatures in the middle of spring.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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