fumigation

American  

[fyoo-mi-gey-shuhn] / ˌfyu mɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the process of using smoke or fumes to disinfect a place or thing or to rid it of fleas, roaches, agricultural pests, weeds, etc..

   If the entire house gets infested with bedbugs, including clothing and furniture, we’ll have to resort to exterminators or even fumigation.

   A pesticide unavailable on the legal market is regularly employed in the fumigation of areas where illicit crops, such as coca, are produced.

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Other Word Forms

• subfumigation noun

Etymology

Origin of fumigation

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin fūmigātiōn-, stem of fūmigātiō; fumigate ( def. ), -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

Colombia will also restart fumigation to destroy coca crops, a practice halted since 2015 and strongly opposed by Petro as a senator.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

The Salvation Army said this was due to the fumigation process of their rooms.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

The chemical’s primary use is the fumigation of homes and other structures, where a building is covered with an airtight tent and gas is pumped in to kill termites and other pests.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2024

In 2019, in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, Dudareva and her associates published their discovery of a new physiological process, "Natural fumigation as a mechanism for volatile transport between flower organs."

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2024

Papá was sure the fumigation had taken care of the problem.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez