1
as in contamination
the action or process of making the environment dirty or harmful
The company designed devices to reduce the pollution of the world's oceans.
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2
as in corruption
something that makes (someone) less pure, honest, or moral
They refused to let their children play violent video games, believing that they caused pollution in a developing mind.
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pollution
The region’s residents are seeing rising utility costs and property taxes, Liddawi said, and cities including Gary, Hammond and Griffith are facing underinvestment and long-standing environmental concerns, including industrial pollution.
—
Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
You are exposed to free radicals via pollution, ultraviolet (UV) rays, and a poor diet.
—Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 30 Apr. 2026
The study authors called for more comprehensive risk assessment and warning systems as fire pollution continues to occur.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 30 Apr. 2026
The Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970, at a time when the country’s pollution problems were pressingly obvious.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pollution
Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
You are exposed to free radicals via pollution, ultraviolet (UV) rays, and a poor diet.
—Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 30 Apr. 2026
The study authors called for more comprehensive risk assessment and warning systems as fire pollution continues to occur.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 30 Apr. 2026
The Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970, at a time when the country’s pollution problems were pressingly obvious.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pollution
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pollution
Noun
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Neighbors were still without water in one Mountain View neighborhood on Sunday after a mistake at a construction site on Friday caused possible contamination, and neighbors are waiting for tests to reveal whether the water is safe for use.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Around 5,000 thyroid cancers have been linked to iodine contamination of milk supplies by the accident, 15 of them fatal.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Years later, drawn into a covert network of operatives and manipulated through a web of corruption, Clay must decide whether to become the weapon he was shaped to be or dismantle the system from within.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
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He was also charged in another foreign corruption case in the same court in late 2024.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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These hazardous pollutants can cause cancer and damage the nervous system and liver.—
The Sacramento Bee staff,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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In addition, researchers are using synthetic biology to design organisms capable of detecting and breaking down environmental pollutants, offering new tools for bioremediation.—
André O. Hudson,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pollution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pollution. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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