noun
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the act of polluting or the state of being polluted
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harmful or poisonous substances introduced into an environment
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The contamination of air, water, or soil by substances that are harmful to living organisms. Pollution can occur naturally, for example through volcanic eruptions, or as the result of human activities, such as the spilling of oil or disposal of industrial waste.
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◆ Light from cities and towns at night that interferes with astronomical observations is known as light pollution. It can also disturb natural rhythms of growth in plants and other organisms.
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◆ Continuous noise that is loud enough to be annoying or physically harmful is known as noise pollution.
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◆ Heat from hot water that is discharged from a factory into a river or lake, where it can kill or endanger aquatic life, is known as thermal pollution.
Other Word Forms
- self-pollution noun
Etymology
Origin of pollution
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pollucioun, from Old French, from Late Latin pollūtiōn-, stem of pollūtiō “defilement”; equivalent to pollute + -ion
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.
By operating continuously and using algorithms to anticipate rider demand, a robotaxi fleet could drastically increase vehicle utilization, reducing the number of cars on the road and subsequently congestion and pollution, Chi told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch
That started a legacy of toxic pollution that left families asking whether the waste was the cause of unusually high rates of childhood cancer in the area.
From Los Angeles Times
To help reduce that pollution, researchers at the University of Bonn have created a new filter based on a natural model: the gill arch system in fish.
From Science Daily
The Central Valley is known to have some of the worst air pollution in the country.
From Los Angeles Times
The pre-Revolutionary era aligned with advances in knowledge of the heavenly bodies, sparked by telescopes and a firmament not-yet-obstructed by skyscrapers and pollution.
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.
