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detergents

  • plural
    of detergent.
    detergent
    noun
    any of a group of synthetic, organic, liquid or water-soluble cleaning agents that, unlike soap, are not prepared from fats and oils, are not inactivated by hard water, and have wetting-agent and emulsifying-agent properties.

Example Sentences

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This includes whether contaminated clothing could transfer lead to other items in the wash and how detergents interact with the chemical.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2026

Petroleum is also used to make detergents that help toothpaste foam and synthetics that improve shelf life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026

The colorless gas is also used to make chemicals found in products such as antifreeze, detergents, plastics and adhesives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2025

During the war we haven’t been able to do that—no detergents, no sterilizers, nothing.

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2024

Water pollution experts throughout the United States are concerned by the fact that detergents are now a troublesome and practically universal contaminant of public water supplies.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson