pollute

verb

pol·​lute pə-ˈlüt 

polluted; polluting

transitive verb

1

a

: to make ceremonially or morally impure : defile

b

: debase sense 1

using language to deceive or mislead pollutes language

—Linda C. Lederman

2

a

: to make physically impure or unclean : befoul, dirty

b

: to contaminate (an environment) especially with man-made waste

polluter noun

pollutive

pə-ˈlü-tiv 

adjective

Synonyms

• befoul
• contaminate
• defile
• foul
• poison
• taint

Choose the Right Synonym for pollute

contaminate, taint, pollute, defile mean to make impure or unclean.

contaminate implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source.

water contaminated by industrial wastes

taint stresses the loss of purity or cleanliness that follows contamination.

tainted meat

a politician's tainted reputation

pollute, sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, distinctively may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy.

the polluted waters of the river

defile implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and commonly suggests violation or desecration.

defile a hero's memory with slanderous innuendo

Examples of pollute in a Sentence

Miles of beaches were polluted by the oil spill.

Car exhaust pollutes the air.

Recent Examples on the Web

Slowing down enforcement could be considered a license to pollute — but industry would have to take a leap of faith that enforcers won’t catch up with them. —Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 28 Mar. 2025

Loosening wastewater rules will pollute soil and negatively impact crops even more, McBride said. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2025

Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. —Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025

What’s elevating the health risk are the toxic chemicals from plastics, paint from the house and furniture that also pollute the air after fires destroy buildings, homes and cars, said Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin pollutus, past participle of polluere, from por- (akin to Latin per through) + -luere (akin to Latin lutum mud, Greek lyma dirt, defilement) — more at for

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for pollute

• acute
• aleut
• astute
• beetroot
• breadfruit
• cheroot
• commute
• compute
• confute
• dilute
• dispute
• elute

Kids Definition

pollute

verb

pol·​lute pə-ˈlüt 

polluted; polluting

: to make impure

especially : to spoil (as a natural resource) with waste made by humans

industrial wastes polluted the river

Medical Definition

pollute

transitive verb

pol·​lute pə-ˈlüt 

polluted; polluting

1

: to make physically impure or unclean

2

: to contaminate (an environment) especially with anthropogenic waste

polluter noun

pollutive

-ˈlüt-iv 

adjective