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:
"It has a knock-on effect on wildlife. There's still a fire risk. Pollution can contaminate water. It affects everything, not just it looking nice."
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 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
Paiva also hopes to examine whether materials besides methane, including compounds released from spacecraft components such as paint and rubber, could contaminate scientifically important lunar sites.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
The waste can also clog the aquatic vegetation where the fish would feed and breed, and contaminate the water on which they depend.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Even as I try to get her out of my mind, the memories seep back from the past to contaminate the here and now.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
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
Water shortages are not new, but many countries, especially in the global south, are experiencing climate change-related intense drought and flooding that contaminates water sources.
From BBC ● May 27, 2024
But when that fertilizer leaches into a nearby lake, it spawns lethal algae blooms, contaminates drinking water and kills plants and fish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
It contaminates the supernatural and vomits on the Beyond.
From Là-bas by Keene Wallace
Dixon said she and others who worked in the town’s contaminated creeks developed symptoms like dizziness and rashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Moore, 34, argued the WTA - the governing body of the women's tour - failed to warn players about the risk of eating contaminated meat at a tournament held in Colombia.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
A delayed treatment gives contaminated individuals time to move and exchange material.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Grounds staff have removed contaminated soil from around the affected trees and applied a biochar and compost mixture to support their natural defensive response, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Possibly he had pricked his finger on a crystal that had been contaminated with urine from some animal or the remains of a crushed insect.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Researchers found that methane released in spacecraft exhaust may spread across the moon surprisingly quickly, potentially contaminating regions that could preserve ancient chemical clues about how life first emerged on Earth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 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 land, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots constituted "ecocide", contaminating soil and groundwater and causing long-term risks to people's health.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
The dead rabbit, which had seemed, at first, such a clean thing, was now wholly revolting, defiled and contaminating.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
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.
