contaminate
verb (used with object)
to make impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc..
have contaminated
-
present perfectof contaminate.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
Because sheeppox primarily infects sheep, the results raise two possibilities: the virus may occasionally have infected other livestock species, or viral material may have contaminated the skins during parchment production.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2026
Eleven of the 23 Pasadena Unified School District schools, where students have been back on campus since January, have contaminated soil following the Eaton fire, the district found.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025
A 2018 study by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research revealed that high concentrations of metals and chemicals have contaminated groundwater across 42 residential areas near the factory.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2025
Likewise, members of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe in White Mesa, Utah have protested against uranium mines they say have contaminated local groundwater, air and even wildlife.
From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2024
She would not have contaminated herself with the Melmottes but for that promise.
From The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
