decontaminate
verb (used with object)
to make (an object or area) safe for unprotected personnel by removing, neutralizing, or destroying any harmful substance, as radioactive material or poisonous gas.
were decontaminating
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past progressiveof decontaminate.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.
Specialist medical teams were decontaminating the New York apartment of a doctor confirmed to have Ebola on Friday, as the city’s top officials urged a calm response to the diagnosis.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 24, 2014
