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:
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
They wonder if toxic materials could leach into the soil and contaminate groundwater, if not while the solar site is operational, then some decades in the future, when it reaches the end of its life.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026
The seemingly limitless proliferation of cases in which lawyers have been caught letting fictitious AI-generated legal citations contaminate their briefs continues to amaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026
They do not, as one might expect, fall to their knees and kiss the carrier deck; this would violate, intrude upon, contaminate the deck, the vessel, the sea around, the whole earth.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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
Like when I would talk to people, they would raise concerns about how the demolition contaminates the ground around them.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 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
I know the first generous impulse of your heart is always good; but then ambition,--let me speak truth to you,--avarice, the offspring of ambition, leads you astray, and contaminates the source of your first feelings.
From The Lawyers, A Drama in Five Acts by Augustus William Iffland
On Aug. 4, the Food and Drug Administration revealed that a salmonella outbreak traced back to contaminated jalapeños imported from Mexico had left hundreds of Americans sick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Eating food contaminated with salmonella usually leads to illness within 12 to 72 hours, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The findings, published in Nature Communications, could contribute to future research into using bacteria to help clean up environments contaminated with uranium.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Michigan health officials now believe that most people got sick in late June or early July, and that the contaminated lettuce is no longer available.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Mami flings the card to the floor as if it’s contaminated.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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
Investigators eventually suspected that the bacteria were airborne and had infected people after contaminating the air conditioning system at the convention hotel.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
The move comes amid evidence the poisons are killing songbirds, which like to feather their nests with dog and cat hair, as well as contaminating rivers, killing aquatic life.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 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
Maybe Bitter would have believed Pet more if Aloe hadn’t been contaminating everything with his fear.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
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.
