as in cleaning
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 decontaminating
Among our responsibilities was decontaminating people and equipment after exposure to hazardous materials.
—
Jennifer N. Pritzker, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
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
Jennifer N. Pritzker, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminating
Verb
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Sara Aparacio, a resident cleaning expert at Homeaglow, equates scrubbing an appliance with an abrasive sponge to rubbing it with very fine sandpaper.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
11 Apr. 2026
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In fact, the common liquor, distilled from grains or potatoes, can be a natural alternative to many synthetic cleaning products and an inexpensive, shelf-stable swap in a pinch.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While purging senior military leaders, Xi has grown and modernized China’s army, navy, and air force; improved its cyberwarfare; and upgraded its nuclear arsenal.—
Michael Sheridan,
Vanity Fair,
8 Apr. 2026
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Despite the conflict with Iran and other recent military activity overseas, the Pentagon seems focused on purging minorities and women.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Flying Roos entered the South America debut event with a win in Auckland, New Zealand and a second-place finish to the British crew in Perth but Slingsby said his crew didn't find its rhythm in Brazil until sweeping the four races on Day 2 on Guanabara Bay.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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Filmmakers have used the Civil War as a setting for many decades now, inspiring stories of epic military battles, romantic melodramas, and even satires, from sweeping Best Picture winners like Gone With the Wind (1939) to revisionist Westerns like Django Unchained (2012).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminating. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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