contaminate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
contaminates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
contaminated,
past participle, past
-
contaminating
present participle
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
Derived Forms
-
contaminantnoun
-
contaminatornoun
-
recontaminateverb (used with object)
-
contaminableadjective
-
contaminativeadjective
-
contaminousadjective
-
noncontaminableadjective
-
noncontaminativeadjective
-
self-contaminatingadjective
-
uncontaminableadjective
-
uncontaminatedadjective
-
uncontaminativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
contaminatesimple
-
contaminatessimple
-
have contaminatedperfect
-
has contaminatedperfect
-
am contaminatingprogressive
-
are contaminatingprogressive
-
is contaminatingprogressive
-
have been contaminatingperfect progressive
-
has been contaminatingperfect progressive
Past
-
contaminatedsimple
-
had contaminatedperfect
-
was contaminatingprogressive
-
were contaminatingprogressive
-
had been contaminatingperfect progressive
Future
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; cf. examen
Explanation
The verb contaminate means the same as pollute. Whether it’s food, air, or water, when you contaminate something, you make it impure or hazardous. Contaminate comes from the Latin word contaminat-, meaning “made impure.” You can use the word to indicate that a hazardous substance has been introduced into something else, such as food that is contaminated with mold. It can also be used figuratively to describe the spoiling of a good thing, like one person's habit of gossiping that can contaminate a conversation among friends.
Vocabulary lists containing contaminate
A Long Walk to Water
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Bud, Not Buddy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
And making this sort of bet inside your brokerage account could contaminate your thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Our water system’s decentralized, fragmented nature, perhaps a bit like our electoral system, is a double-edged sword, inasmuch as its vulnerabilities are atomized—at least a single hacker can’t contaminate all the water in the country.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
These blooms can contaminate seafood and create significant health hazards for people who consume or come into contact with affected marine environments.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
The illness is caused by a parasite, cyclospora, that can contaminate food like salads, herbs and soft fruits.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
He didn’t want to contaminate it with money.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
Cyclospora is a parasite that contaminates leafy greens, berries and herbs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
“If a worker contaminates lettuce, that lettuce will likely be eaten before it becomes infectious,” Todd said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
In Italy if one resident contaminates the wrong bin, the whole block can expect a fine, she explains.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
“The Simpsons Movie” finds the family on the run after Homer accidentally contaminates the town.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2024
“Mr. Harris,” said John Thorpe in a husky voice, “in the name of the society whom he contaminates, I demand that you eject that man from this place.”
From An Oregon Girl A Tale of American Life in the New West by Alfred Ernest Rice
Monico declined to comment on rumors circulating online that someone may have contaminated water stations along the race course.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2026
Of course, meteorites that land on Earth can be contaminated by their journey and landing.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
Helen Christie, from Gallos Brook Environmental Group, said the results confirmed what campaigners had been saying: "That the site is contaminated."
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
For a time he specialised in nuclear work and decommissioning, designing robots for pulling material out of contaminated tanks.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
It was as if he were the carrier of a terrible disease and nobody wanted to become contaminated.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
Researchers have to use ultra-clean lab conditions to avoid contaminating it.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
In the 1920s, a modest mercury mine grew into a large open-pit operation, contaminating the watershed with the toxic metal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
It follows concerns that the poisons are killing songbirds, which like to line their nests with dog and cat hair, as well as contaminating rivers and coastal waters and killing aquatic life.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
The disaster unleashed toxic sludge into the Kafue River, contaminating land and leaving residents without clean water.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
On top of that you must make allowances for distortions caused by variations in the Earth’s atmosphere, by intergalactic dust, contaminating light from foreground stars, and many other factors.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
