pollute
Americanverb (used with object)
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pollutes,
present (3rd person singular)
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polluted,
past participle, past
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polluting
present participle
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to make foul or unclean, especially with harmful chemical or waste products; dirty.
to pollute the air with smoke.
- Antonyms:
- purify
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to make morally unclean; defile.
- Antonyms:
- purify
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to render ceremonially impure; desecrate.
to pollute a house of worship.
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Informal. to render less effective or efficient.
The use of inferior equipment has polluted the company's service.
verb
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to contaminate, as with poisonous or harmful substances
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to make morally corrupt or impure; sully
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to desecrate or defile
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pollutesimple
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pollutessimple
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have pollutedperfect
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has pollutedperfect
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am pollutingprogressive
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are pollutingprogressive
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is pollutingprogressive
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have been pollutingperfect progressive
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has been pollutingperfect progressive
Past
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pollutedsimple
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had pollutedperfect
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was pollutingprogressive
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were pollutingprogressive
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had been pollutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pollute
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English polute, from Latin pollūtus, past participle of polluere “to soil, defile,” equivalent to pol-, assimilated variant of por- “forth, forward” (variant of prefix per- ), here marking completed action + -lū- base of -luere (akin to lutum “mud, dirt,” lustrum “muddy place”) + -tus past participle suffix; see per-
Explanation
Pollute is a verb that means to make something dirty or impure. You can pollute a river by pouring waste into it, or you can pollute your body by eating way too much candy. Pollute comes from the Latin word pollut-, meaning “soiled.” When you pollute something, it's soiled or contaminated, often by something poisonous. You might have heard the word pollution — pollution is the stuff that pollutes the environment. The word pollute can be used more figuratively to describe something that corrupts or degrades. For example, reading articles about celebrity weddings can pollute your mind.
Vocabulary lists containing pollute
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 9–October 15, 2021
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Unit 20, Lessons 3–4
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Earthquake Terror
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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.
See Examples For:
In addition, they say, the regulations also allow for recycling technologies that pollute, such as chemical recycling, which the law as originally drafted forbids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
If we want you to pollute less, we’ll tax carbon.
From Slate ● Apr. 22, 2026
Apart from climate concerns, strikes on energy infrastructure, oil tankers and military targets pollute the surrounding air and water and spread highly toxic chemicals far and wide, experts say.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
Much of the soil has been contaminated, they say, by toxic elements and heavy metals which will pollute the land and crops grown on it "for years to come".
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
I won’t pollute my insides with Bluberridazzlepops or muffins or scritchscratchy shards of toast, either.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
It’s an endless stream of nothing, meant to fill time more than entertain, like the brainrotted AI slop that pollutes TikTok streams, except many leagues less interesting.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
The rubbish gets into the watercourses that criss-cross the capital and, from there, finds its way into the Congo River where it harms wildlife and pollutes the water.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Uncollected and improperly disposed waste pollutes waterways and clogs drain systems.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2025
Urban runoff that pollutes the ocean frequently begins in these fresh rivers, but, unlike for beaches, there is no statewide oversight, standardization or funding for freshwater pollution monitoring in California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2024
The automobile gives us great mobility, but pollutes our atmosphere.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
“Based on my knowledge and everything I saw and experienced, East Palestine has always been more polluted and contaminated than what the EPA ever stated,” Dixon said in an interview with the Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Other manifesto pledges have included forcing water company bosses to swim in polluted rivers and banning loud snacks in cinemas.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Your bank account can’t protect you if you are breathing polluted air or rely on a dysfunctional health care system.”
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
These studies would compare clean and polluted tropical convective clouds, with particular attention to powerful updraft regions.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
Or you love wild places or city parks and would like to make sure they stay that way and do not become polluted or get dug up for roads, houses, or shops.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
Gruffydd said he hoped the higher range of fines will "change the habits of people who are polluting communities and are putting children and vulnerable people's health at risk".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Italy's government says the country's largest steel works must be converted to electric after a court-ordered shutdown of polluting furnaces but, as Rome seeks a buyer, critics say its plan is woefully unsubstantiated.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
That makes them extremely difficult to extinguish and exceptionally polluting.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
But their desire to build these AI-processing plants faster than ever has resulted in sprawling, polluting, noisy, thirsty complexes more reminiscent of the industrial revolution than the era of artificial intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Scipio's father waved his hand at them impatiently as if the three children were nothing but annoying birds polluting his house.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
