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.

Local residents had complained that exploration work had contaminated the water supply, threatened tourism and risked hastening the melting of glaciers, Kyrgyz media reported earlier this year.

From Barron's • Nov. 25, 2025

Residents said newly dug hatcheries and ponds had contaminated neighboring communities’ water and soil, making it nearly impossible to grow crops, especially rice they depend on for food.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 20, 2024

One officer told the judge and others heading upstairs to wear a mask if they had one because chemicals from the fire extinguishers had contaminated the area.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2023

In 2021, the UK Supreme Court allowed a group of 42,500 Nigerian farmers and fishermen to sue Shell in the English courts after years of oil spills had contaminated land and groundwater.

From Reuters • Feb. 2, 2023

The dust which had contaminated most of the planet’s surface had originated in no country, and no one, even the wartime enemy, had planned on it.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick