verb (used with object), de·con·tam·i·nated, de·con·tam·i·nat·ing. 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.
Related forms de·con·tam·i·na·tion , noun de·con·tam·i·na·tive , adjective de·con·tam·i·na·tor , noun Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for decontamination Contemporary Examples of decontamination He says BP still owes him $15,000 for two deckhands and another $20,000 for decontamination and repainting of his boat.
So he took a decontamination shower alone, clothes on, and then drove home through empty streets to his empty house.
The Tories' "decontamination " strategy was designed for happier times.
Historical Examples of decontamination He turned away and walked back to the decontamination chamber.
They passed through the decontamination shield and into the city.
Decontamination squads with fire bombs were shown as they sought to cleanse Euclid Avenue of its infected dead.
And it took us two weeks of bunking with the sullen crew and decontamination before we could pick up life again.
He went through the radiation trap to the decontamination chamber to wash off whatever it was he had picked up.
British Dictionary definitions for decontamination verb (tr) to render (an area, building, object, etc) harmless by the removal, distribution, or neutralization of poisons, radioactivity, etc
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Derived Forms decontaminant , noun decontamination , noun decontaminative , adjective decontaminator , noun Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for decontamination v. 1936, from de- + contaminate . Originally in reference to poison gas. Related: Decontaminated ; decontaminating .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
decontamination in Medicine
decontamination [dē′kən-tăm′ə-nā′ shən]
n. The removal or neutralization of a contaminating substance, such as poisonous gas or a radioactive material.
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Related forms de′con•tam′ i•nate (-nāt′ ) v. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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