biodegrade
Americanverb (used without object)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of biodegrade
First recorded in 1970–75; back formation from biodegradable
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.
See Examples For:
How fast natural fibers biodegrade depends on conditions including oxygen, temperature and light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"These discarded butts are toxic and a significant source of plastic pollution, due to their filters, which do not biodegrade."
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025
One of the most common compounds is a polyester known as PLA, short for polylactic acid, which will biodegrade in an industrial compost setting.
From New York Times ● May 20, 2024
"Unlike plastic-based leather alternatives, bacterial cellulose can also be made without petrochemicals, and will biodegrade safely and non-toxically in the environment."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2024
Enzymes have evolved alongside them to break down their chemical bonds, allowing microbes to biodegrade organic material.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2023
“Our research found that even with common dyes and finishes, cotton remained biodegradable and, on average, biodegraded faster than an oak leaf under the same conditions,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Once underwater, it is "technically impossible to neutralise", and can take decades to be biodegraded by marine micro-organisms.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2025
At intervals of 90 and 200 days, almost 100% of the petroleum-based microplastics were recovered, meaning none of it had biodegraded.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2024
It can be heavy or light, more or less biodegraded, depending on the same factors that affect oil in land-based deposits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2021
Like other scientists, she said the report failed to explain how it reached its estimates on the amount of oil that was biodegraded naturally, or dispersed with chemicals.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 5, 2010
Audiences have seen countless times how this progression can devolve from one incarnation to the next, as if a property were subject to imaginative biodegrading.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 19, 2022
Fully biodegrading PVA requires the presence of the right species and concentration of microorganisms, which also have to be trained to break the compound down, Rolsky said.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 15, 2022
Smoke and biodegrading remnants release carbon, methane and other greenhouse gases into the air.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 14, 2018
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