contaminate
Americanverb (used with object)
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contaminates,
present (3rd person singular)
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contaminated,
past participle, past
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contaminating
present participle
noun
adjective
verb
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to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute
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to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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contaminantnoun
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contaminatornoun
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recontaminateverb (used with object)
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contaminableadjective
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contaminativeadjective
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contaminousadjective
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noncontaminableadjective
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noncontaminativeadjective
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self-contaminatingadjective
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uncontaminableadjective
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uncontaminatedadjective
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uncontaminativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contaminatesimple
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contaminatessimple
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have contaminatedperfect
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has contaminatedperfect
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am contaminatingprogressive
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are contaminatingprogressive
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is contaminatingprogressive
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have been contaminatingperfect progressive
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has been contaminatingperfect progressive
Past
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contaminatedsimple
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had contaminatedperfect
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was contaminatingprogressive
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were contaminatingprogressive
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had been contaminatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contaminate
1375–1425; late Middle English contaminaten < Latin contāminātus, past participle of contāmināre to defile, spoil, equivalent to con- con- + -tāminare, verbal derivative of *tāmen something touched < *tag-s-men, equivalent to tag-, variant stem of tangere to touch + -s-men resultative noun suffix; cf. examen
Explanation
The verb contaminate means the same as pollute. Whether it’s food, air, or water, when you contaminate something, you make it impure or hazardous. Contaminate comes from the Latin word contaminat-, meaning “made impure.” You can use the word to indicate that a hazardous substance has been introduced into something else, such as food that is contaminated with mold. It can also be used figuratively to describe the spoiling of a good thing, like one person's habit of gossiping that can contaminate a conversation among friends.
Vocabulary lists containing contaminate
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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:
Our water system’s decentralized, fragmented nature, perhaps a bit like our electoral system, is a double-edged sword, inasmuch as its vulnerabilities are atomized—at least a single hacker can’t contaminate all the water in the country.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Heat also fuels toxic algae blooms containing domoic acid, which contaminate the anchovy and sardine populations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
In a statement Mid Ulster Council said: "Decomposing remains can spread disease, attract vermin, and contaminate land and water, and this kind of behaviour is a clear breach of environmental law."
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
These highly automated sites run 24/7 and can’t afford even tiny traces of extraneous gases or chemicals to contaminate their precision production, says Liu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Jefferson’s initial draft of the Declaration of Independence had included language that described the slave trade as the perverse plot of an evil English monarch designed to contaminate innocent colonists.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Cyclospora is a parasite that contaminates leafy greens, berries and herbs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
“If a worker contaminates lettuce, that lettuce will likely be eaten before it becomes infectious,” Todd said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
In Italy if one resident contaminates the wrong bin, the whole block can expect a fine, she explains.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
The other thing is that stress contaminates memory, so you can have two people in the same room telling completely opposite stories.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2024
According to the Biblical view sin contaminates man, so that he cannot stand in the presence of God.
From Jewish Theology by Kaufmann Kohler
The relatively small sample means the findings cannot yet establish how radioactive particles behave throughout the entire contaminated region.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
For a time he specialised in nuclear work and decommissioning, designing robots for pulling material out of contaminated tanks.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
After our office was cleared, we were all sent home, only to be told to return the next day to drop off our contaminated clothes in trash bags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Yuan said she’d dealt with years of chronic health issues and believed her dad’s death last September was due to some of the contaminated water he ingested.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Rather than wait, the Japanese government undertook a massive clean up, digging up radioactive soil from contaminated towns and hauling it away.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Before the virus was identified, it spread from herd to herd, infecting cattle and contaminating their surroundings.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
Investigators eventually suspected that the bacteria were airborne and had infected people after contaminating the air conditioning system at the convention hotel.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
The disaster unleashed toxic sludge into the Kafue River, contaminating land and leaving residents without clean water.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
The move comes amid evidence the poisons are killing songbirds, which like to feather their nests with dog and cat hair, as well as contaminating rivers, killing aquatic life.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
Gardenia’s brother-in-law told Bobbette that Henrietta’s cells had been all over the news lately because they’d been causing problems by contaminating other cultures.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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