decontaminate

[dee-kuh n-tam-uh-neyt]

See more synonyms for decontaminate on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of decontaminate

First recorded in 1935–40; de- + contaminate

Related formsde·con·tam·i·na·tion, nounde·con·tam·i·na·tive, adjectivede·con·tam·i·na·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for decontamination

Contemporary Examples

He says BP still owes him $15,000 for two deckhands and another $20,000 for decontamination and repainting of his boat.
The Gulf of Mexico's Seafood Rebirth a Year After the BP Oil Spill
Rick Outzen
April 18, 2011
So he took a decontamination shower alone, clothes on, and then drove home through empty streets to his empty house.
A Nuclear Meltdown Survivor Story
Tony Doukopil
March 17, 2011
The Tories' "decontamination" strategy was designed for happier times.
Will Britain's Conservatives Blow it?
Alex Massie
February 28, 2010

Historical Examples

He turned away and walked back to the decontamination chamber.
The Bramble Bush
Gordon Randall Garrett
They passed through the decontamination shield and into the city.
Tony and the Beetles
Philip K. Dick
Decontamination squads with fire bombs were shown as they sought to cleanse Euclid Avenue of its infected dead.
Deepfreeze
Robert Donald Locke
And it took us two weeks of bunking with the sullen crew and decontamination before we could pick up life again.
Let'em Breathe Space
Lester del Rey
He wandered around the decontamination room, looking at everything, hoping he might see something that would give him a clue.
The Bramble Bush
Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for decontamination

decontaminate

verb

(tr) to render (an area, building, object, etc) harmless by the removal, distribution, or neutralization of poisons, radioactivity, etc

Derived Formsdecontaminant, noundecontamination, noundecontaminative, adjectivedecontaminator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for decontamination

decontaminate

v.

1936, from de- + contaminate. Originally in reference to poison gas. Related: Decontaminated; decontaminating.

decontamination in Medicine

decontamination

(dē′kən-tăm′ə-nā′shən)

The removal or neutralization of a contaminating substance, such as poisonous gas or a radioactive material.

Related formsde′con•tam′i•nate (-nāt′) v.

decontaminate

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Related Words

Examples from the Web for decontamination

Contemporary Examples

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

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 wandered around the decontamination room, looking at everything, hoping he might see something that would give him a clue.

decontaminate

Word Origin and History for decontamination

decontaminate

v.

decontamination

Origin of decontaminate