contaminate

verb

con·​tam·​i·​nate kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce contaminate (audio)
contaminated; contaminating

transitive verb

1
a
: to soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association
Bacteria contaminated the wound.
b
: to make inferior or impure by admixture
iron contaminated with phosphorus
2
: to make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements
water contaminated by sewage
contaminative adjective
contaminator noun

Did you know?

Contaminate, taint, pollute, and defile mean to make impure or unclean. Contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source (logically enough, it derives from the Latin word tangere, meaning "to touch"). Taint stresses a loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contact ("tainted meat"). Pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy ("the polluted waters of the river"). Defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred, and commonly suggests violation or desecration ("vandals defiled the mausoleum").

Choose the Right Synonym for contaminate

contaminate, taint, pollute, defile mean to make impure or unclean.

contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat
a politician's tainted reputation

pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

Examples of contaminate in a Sentence

Be careful not to allow bacteria to contaminate the wound. Don't touch the microchip or the oil on your hands will contaminate it. Make sure the white paint is not contaminated by any of the other colors.
Recent Examples on the Web As owners of the troubled Chiquita Canyon Landfill struggle to contain noxious fumes and contaminated runoff caused by an underground garbage fire, residents and public officials increasingly are calling for the Castaic facility’s closure. Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 One challenge, Davids has said, is that officials are still trying to figure out which pipes might be contaminated. Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024 This creek is believed to be contaminated from firefighting foam runoff from the military base, though a PFAS-free alternative foam is now in use. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Widely used in products such as paint and gasoline until the late 1970s, lead continues to contaminate environments and harm the health of people around the world. Aaron Specht, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024 Montoya also testified that the production had no policies in place to prevent dummy ammunition — used to make weapons look authentic in close-up shots — from being contaminated with live bullets. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Unregulated Alcohol: Unregulated alcohol may be contaminated, and U.S. citizens have reported losing consciousness or becoming injured after consuming alcohol that was possibly tainted. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 For example, instead of choosing soft cheeses, hard cheeses like cheddar and parmesan are less likely to be contaminated. Brian Mastroianni, Health, 29 Feb. 2024 During the process, the can could have been contaminated with germs, dust, debris, or harmful bacteria. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contaminate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contaminaten, borrowed from Latin contāminātus, past participle of contāmināre "to defile, pollute," from con- con- + -tāmināre, verbal derivative of *tāmen "touching, contact," going back to *tāg-(s)men, from tag-, variant stem of tangere "to touch" + *-(s)men, noun suffix of result — more at tangent entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of contaminate was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near contaminate

Cite this Entry

“Contaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contaminate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

contaminate

verb
con·​tam·​i·​nate kən-ˈtam-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce contaminate (audio)
contaminated; contaminating
1
: to soil, stain, or infect by contact or association
2
: to make impure or unfit for use by adding something harmful or unpleasant
wells contaminated by chemicals
contamination
-ˌtam-ə-ˈnā-shən
noun
contaminator noun

Medical Definition

contaminate

transitive verb
con·​tam·​i·​nate kən-ˈtam-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce contaminate (audio)
contaminated; contaminating
1
: to soil, stain, or infect by contact or association
bacteria contaminated the wound
2
: to make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements
water contaminated by sewage
contaminative adjective
contaminator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on contaminate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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