as in cleaned
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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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 decontaminated
From there, the walls had to be opened, the insulation had to be changed out and every horizontal surface had to be decontaminated or replaced.
—
Rina Nakano, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
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
Has been contaminated due to methamphetamine and the owner has not appealed or decontaminated the property within 90 days.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 June 2025
Rina Nakano, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
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
Has been contaminated due to methamphetamine and the owner has not appealed or decontaminated the property within 90 days.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminated
Verb
-
They should be cleaned and stored in a garage, shed, basement, or even under your deck if they’re protected with a tarp.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Roads are cleaned, including inside suburbs, for weather events like snow, blizzards, freezing rain and ice storms.—
Cheyenne Derksen,
Oklahoman,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That included mixed performances for airlines, which had to cancel thousands of flights due to the winter storm that swept much of the United States over the weekend.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The Lakers were swept by Chicago in their two-game series last season, including a wild 119-117 loss at the United Center on Josh Giddey's half-court shot at the buzzer.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Scientists were among the intellectuals and researchers who were killed and imprisoned and purged.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The cancellations come after Trump purged the center’s bipartisan board members, just seven days after he was inaugurated into office in 2025.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminated. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
