as in poisons
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
outmoded factories polluting the air
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Recent Examples of pollutes
Debris pollutes waterways, cooking fires may spread, and the District Attorney’s Office has repeatedly documented how homeless residents are more likely to be victims of crime.
—
Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2025
Most space debris pollutes low-Earth orbit.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 22 Sep. 2025
While much of the effort is focused on the waterline, volunteers embark on missions inland to get the trash picked up ahead of the wet winter season and it is washed down to the ocean and pollutes the waters.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
Cotton farming can involve massive quantities of pesticides, and yarn dyeing pollutes waterways with toxic chemicals.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2025
Farmers overapplying them in their fields can cause nitrogen-laden runoff that pollutes water and the air.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Moreover, the use of harsh chemicals pollutes water and soil during lithium extraction.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2025
Excessive fertilizer pollutes both soil and water systems.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2025
Processing rare earths often involves the use of solvents, which can produce toxic waste that pollutes the soil, water, and atmosphere.
—Jason Neely and Eric Onstad, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2025
Most space debris pollutes low-Earth orbit.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 22 Sep. 2025
While much of the effort is focused on the waterline, volunteers embark on missions inland to get the trash picked up ahead of the wet winter season and it is washed down to the ocean and pollutes the waters.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
Cotton farming can involve massive quantities of pesticides, and yarn dyeing pollutes waterways with toxic chemicals.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2025
Farmers overapplying them in their fields can cause nitrogen-laden runoff that pollutes water and the air.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Moreover, the use of harsh chemicals pollutes water and soil during lithium extraction.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2025
Excessive fertilizer pollutes both soil and water systems.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2025
Processing rare earths often involves the use of solvents, which can produce toxic waste that pollutes the soil, water, and atmosphere.
—Jason Neely and Eric Onstad, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pollutes
Verb
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Untreated nitrogen often contaminates groundwater and causes algal blooms that damage ecosystems.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Aug. 2025
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Leached water from textile waste in landfills contaminates groundwater with harmful chemicals and dyes, which can alter the pH and clarity of surface water.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The film centered on the Environmental Protection Agency encasing the Simpsons’ hometown of Springfield in a dome after Homer taints the area’s water supply.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Listeria infects about 1,600 people in the United States each year, killing about 260 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
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Commonly known as the brain worm, Parelaphostrongylus tenuis is a parasitic nematode that infects a large range of wild and domestic herbivores, such as moose and elk.—
Jessie Richards,
The Conversation,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pollutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pollutes. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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