contaminate
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
adjective
verb
-
to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute
-
to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material
adjective
Other Word Forms
- contaminable adjective
- contaminant noun
- contaminative adjective
- contaminator noun
- contaminous adjective
- noncontaminable adjective
- noncontaminative adjective
- recontaminate verb (used with object)
- self-contaminating adjective
- uncontaminable adjective
- uncontaminated adjective
- uncontaminative adjective
Etymology
Origin of contaminate
1375–1425; late Middle English contaminaten < Latin contāminātus, past participle of contāmināre to defile, spoil, equivalent to con- con- + -tāminare, verbal derivative of *tāmen something touched < *tag-s-men, equivalent to tag-, variant stem of tangere to touch + -s-men resultative noun suffix; examen
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.
Understanding how this molecular gearbox works could help researchers develop ways to stop bacteria from forming biofilms, slimy communities that cause infections and contaminate medical devices.
From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026
The aviation industry doesn’t dispute that oil and other aircraft fluids can contaminate the air on a flight, but says that the levels of chemicals released haven’t been shown to pose risk of serious illness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
The Japanese auto maker said it would recall more than 126,000 U.S. vehicles, citing concerns that debris from the manufacturing process could contaminate the engine and cause it to stall.
From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025
They can also eat their way through farm produce and contaminate food supplies.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025
Jefferson’s initial draft of the Declaration of Independence had included language that described the slave trade as the perverse plot of an evil English monarch designed to contaminate innocent colonists.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
