decontaminate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to make (an object or area) safe for unprotected personnel by removing, neutralizing, or destroying any harmful substance, as radioactive material or poisonous gas.
-
to make free of contamination; purify.
to decontaminate a sickroom.
verb
Other Word Forms
- decontaminant noun
- decontamination noun
- decontaminative adjective
- decontaminator noun
Etymology
Origin of decontaminate
First recorded in 1935–40; de- + contaminate
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.
Workers have complained of chemical burns from the waste material generated by the tunneling process, and firefighters must decontaminate their equipment after conducting rescues from the project sites.
From Salon • Oct. 12, 2025
That’s sent water treatment operators scrambling to find ways to decontaminate water supplies without breaking the bank.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 20, 2024
The MIT team found that this process could effectively decontaminate water with low concentrations of lead.
From Science Daily • May 15, 2024
She says if you don't, it will become more "heavily contaminated" and then harder to decontaminate in the wash.
From BBC • Sep. 9, 2023
A few essential manufactures had also been revived, mostly in the form of machine shops to decontaminate engine parts.
From The Year When Stardust Fell by Jones, Raymond F.
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.
