contaminate
verb (used with object)
to make impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc..
were contaminating
-
past progressiveof contaminate.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
He noted that in 2016, Stuart closed and replaced wells that were contaminating the local water supply but was still incurring cleanup costs.
From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023
In the process, they were contaminating it with their saliva and excretions that are known to contain the virus.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2018
Some of the Lackses later gave blood to Hopkins researchers, thinking they were being tested for cancer, when really the scientists wanted their genetic information to help determine whether HeLa cells were contaminating other cultures.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2010
An outgrowth of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, the ban was put in place last November in response to widespread concerns that leaking chemical drums were contaminating thousands of disposal sites.
From Time Magazine Archive
He stooped down and picked the thing up with the tips of his fingers, held it at arms length as though it were contaminating, and examined the inside.
From Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill Lutz
