pollute
Americanverb (used with object)
-
pollutes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
polluted,
past participle, past
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polluting
present participle
-
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
-
to render ceremonially impure; desecrate.
to pollute a house of worship.
-
Informal. to render less effective or efficient.
The use of inferior equipment has polluted the company's service.
verb
-
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
-
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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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:
She also said - as someone who farms herself - farmers have a responsibility to not pollute the river, along with people and businesses.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
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
He said that the project wouldn’t pollute the water and that Missouri has taken measures to protect ratepayers from financing the utility upgrades needed for data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
If we want you to pollute less, we’ll tax carbon.
From Slate ● Apr. 22, 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 prices in California are higher than in other states due to higher taxes and stricter requirements for cleaner, more expensive gas that pollutes less.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
But recycling is done with few regulations, pollutes the environment and threatens the health of those involved, both workers and experts told AFP.
From Barron's ● Dec. 16, 2025
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
The automobile gives us great mobility, but pollutes our atmosphere.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
Singapore again topped IQAir's live ranking of the world's most polluted major cities on Friday, with Kuala Lumpur second and Jakarta sixth.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
“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 sources had dried up or become polluted, while unreliable tap connections had pushed more families towards handpumps.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 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
He says Toronto is getting overpopulated, and also polluted.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Many still in use are powered by older, two-stroke engines, like those in chain saws, which are louder and more polluting than four-stroke engines, like those in cars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
The Welsh government said it hoped the increase will "change the habits of people who are polluting communities".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
That makes them extremely difficult to extinguish and exceptionally polluting.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Musk said that while Venezuela’s highly polluting oil has proved expensive to produce and no longer needed by the world economy, Tesla still has five years to run on its oil field security contract.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
It might have been that Mrs. Tallis did not want the polluting presence to step inside her house.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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