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
Afterward, the animals were decontaminated and bathed, and those who experienced the most inhalation are being supervised at a veterinary clinic, Halverson said.
—
Melina Khan, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
There’s no cost at Tahoe’s inspection station to decontaminate a kayak or paddleboard, plus experts will educate you on how to do it, Patten said.
—Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Irradiating food is a safety measure aimed to decontaminate it.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Has been contaminated due to methamphetamine and the owner has not appealed or decontaminated the property within 90 days.
—Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Melina Khan, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
There’s no cost at Tahoe’s inspection station to decontaminate a kayak or paddleboard, plus experts will educate you on how to do it, Patten said.
—Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Irradiating food is a safety measure aimed to decontaminate it.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Aug. 2025
Has been contaminated due to methamphetamine and the owner has not appealed or decontaminated the property within 90 days.
—Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate
Verb
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Her goal in including hygiene items and cleaning supplies in the pantry is to ensure families don’t need to choose between nutrition and other forms of self-care, Ortega said.—
Alyssa N. Salcedo,
jsonline.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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Depending on how often your household uses your microwave, the inside should be cleaned at least once a week with dish soap and hot water on a microfiber cloth.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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An employee was using a hip towel to wipe their hands throughout their shift.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Her theory is that, in cleaning up the murder scene, the killer forgot to wipe the doorknob.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After the sun set and the mob had been purged, Pelosi returned to a Capitol in shambles to help complete the day’s task.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
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Miami should have purged the roster even more, shipping off starters for draft picks, but apparently none of the bids enticed Ross and his minions, who are the individuals really calling the shots now.—
Omar Kelly
November 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His rule finally came to an end in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis threw the country into economic turmoil, prompting widespread protests and forcing Suharto to resign – one of the last people power movements to sweep Southeast Asia and replace a Cold War-era autocrat with democracy.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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Last week, Democrats swept the board in off-year elections across the country.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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