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
People covered in jet fuel were also decontaminated before being treated.
—
Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 3 July 2025
Patterson warns that people should not touch bats and should be sure to decontaminate after visiting bat habitat to avoid spreading it.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 June 2025
Two people were taken to the hospital and hundreds of employees at a medical technology company in North Canaan were decontaminated on Thursday when a suspicious package at the facility was found, prompting an investigation by state and federal authorities.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025
Also, the robots will need to be decontaminated, and nobody is going to want to have to deal with some sort of special, gentle, robot-friendly decontamination procedure.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Nov. 2014
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 3 July 2025
Patterson warns that people should not touch bats and should be sure to decontaminate after visiting bat habitat to avoid spreading it.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 June 2025
Two people were taken to the hospital and hundreds of employees at a medical technology company in North Canaan were decontaminated on Thursday when a suspicious package at the facility was found, prompting an investigation by state and federal authorities.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025
Also, the robots will need to be decontaminated, and nobody is going to want to have to deal with some sort of special, gentle, robot-friendly decontamination procedure.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Nov. 2014
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate
Verb
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Police also believe Lawson tried to clean the scene.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Sep. 2025
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This creates delays in patient care, from nurses having to run across the campus to fetch IV poles to cardiovascular surgeons having to clean their own offices after each patient, Siebers said.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Next, wipe the sides, door, and soap dispensers with a microfiber cloth.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
2 Sep. 2025
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The luggage trolley sleeve is ideal for sliding over my carry-on handle, and the material is lightweight yet durable—and most importantly, spill-resistant (liquids wipe right off).—
Samantha Leal,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Guy will not see the Verdun purged of unexploded ordnance in his lifetime.—
Michael Jerome Plunkett
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
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Moving is the perfect excuse to purge.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement The sweeping ban threatened to upend Facebook’s recent content monetization launch in Nepal, which could help Nepali creators earn money, and also threatened to impact other Nepali businesses that depend on social-media platforms.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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People who maintain a shoes-off home will need to sweep less often than those who wear shoes indoors.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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