contaminant
Americannoun
-
contaminants
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of contaminant
1920–25; < Latin contāminant- (stem of contāmināns ), present participle of contāmināre. See contaminate, -ant
Vocabulary lists containing contaminant
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:
According to the FDA, it takes action if the agency finds “that the level of a contaminant causes the food to be unsafe.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
“In some ways it’s not a surprise, but the specific contaminant, cyclospora, is more unusual than E. coli and salmonella problems in leafy greens.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
It’s the first time the agency has designated pharmaceuticals as a contaminant group, according to an April press release.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
“For the first time in the program’s history, EPA is designating both microplastics and pharmaceuticals as priority contaminant groups,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2026
Water pollution experts throughout the United States are concerned by the fact that detergents are now a troublesome and practically universal contaminant of public water supplies.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
The agency has said it collected over 28,000 air samples and found no ongoing exposure in the East Palestine community from contaminants released by the derailment and subsequent cleanup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
When munitions are detonated underwater, the blast can spread contaminants through the surrounding environment.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
They often look at various heavy metals and other contaminants that the organization thinks are too common in American food.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
The treatments help to force out some of the harmful contaminants in firefighters' bodies, she claims, and can have short-term side effects immediately after treatment.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
And what of the outflow of scores of other rivers, carrying contaminants perhaps equally lethal?
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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