contaminate
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
adjective
verb
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to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute
-
to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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self-contaminatingadjective
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noncontaminativeadjective
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uncontaminatedadjective
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contaminativeadjective
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uncontaminativeadjective
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contaminantnoun
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uncontaminableadjective
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contaminableadjective
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contaminousadjective
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contaminatornoun
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noncontaminableadjective
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recontaminateverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has contaminatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have contaminatedperfect
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is contaminatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are contaminatingprogressive
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have been contaminatingperfect progressive
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has been contaminatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am contaminatingprogressive 1st person singular
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contaminatingparticiple
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contaminatessingular 3rd person
Past
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had contaminatedperfect
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had been contaminatingperfect progressive
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were contaminatingprogressive plural
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was contaminatingprogressive singular
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contaminatedparticiple
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contaminatedsimple
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
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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.
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
"We didn't want to bring the water into the practice and then contaminate the pipes or anything like that or our equipment."
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
Informal recycling is rife with hazards -- open burning, acid baths and unprotected dismantling expose workers to toxic fumes and contaminate soil and water.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
For the population as a whole, we must be more concerned with the delayed effects of absorbing small amounts of the pesticides that invisibly contaminate our world.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
