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
They send the message that “you can pollute with impunity,” said Carly Phillips, a senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 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
In our ignorance, we continue to push and pull, to pollute the atmosphere and brighten the land, oblivious of the fact that the long-term consequences are largely unknown.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
The gunk washes into storm drains and pollutes creeks, rivers and beaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 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
The risk isn’t just to the workers using it; formaldehyde threatens everyone as it pollutes the air we all breathe and leaks from products long after they enter our homes.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2024
I leave the microwave door hanging open so the smell pollutes the kitchen.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Initial results showed children's lungs in London were smaller in capacity than those in Luton, which is less polluted than London but has a similar mix of pollutants.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 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
Mamá Jacinta says that she used to clean the meat in the river, but it became so polluted that she had to start washing it in an outdoor sink.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
The scandal erupted in September 2015 when German automaker Volkswagen admitted fitting millions of vehicles with software to make engines appear less polluting in regulatory tests than in real driving conditions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Some locals say the renewed jockeying for clients is the latest distraction from the fight over the toxins they believe are polluting their home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
"They are five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes and 50 times more than trains."
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
He wants to get the Fed out of narrating its outlook, so as to avoid polluting market signals about that same outlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 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.
