noun
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the act of polluting or the state of being polluted
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harmful or poisonous substances introduced into an environment
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The contamination of air, water, or soil by substances that are harmful to living organisms. Pollution can occur naturally, for example through volcanic eruptions, or as the result of human activities, such as the spilling of oil or disposal of industrial waste.
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◆ Light from cities and towns at night that interferes with astronomical observations is known as light pollution. It can also disturb natural rhythms of growth in plants and other organisms.
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◆ Continuous noise that is loud enough to be annoying or physically harmful is known as noise pollution.
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◆ Heat from hot water that is discharged from a factory into a river or lake, where it can kill or endanger aquatic life, is known as thermal pollution.
Other Word Forms
- self-pollution noun
Etymology
Origin of pollution
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pollucioun, from Old French, from Late Latin pollūtiōn-, stem of pollūtiō “defilement”; equivalent to pollute + -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Because less of the world’s landscape is burning, the result is less air pollution, especially in heavily populated areas in Africa.
Hajder said earlier that Ukrainian officials had assured him the source of the oil pollution had been contained.
From BBC
All such articles should also consider the 7 million deaths from air pollution that happen every year, or the 500,000 deaths from extreme heat exposure, statistics that are predicted to keep rising.
From Salon
For her there was a professional as well as a personal interest - she was writing a book about solutions to plastic pollution.
From BBC
Authorities in Malta and Italy have been monitoring the passage of the wreck, amid pollution fears.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
