pollution

1
as in contamination
the action or process of making the environment dirty or harmful The company designed devices to reduce the pollution of the world's oceans.

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2
as in corruption
something that makes (someone) less pure, honest, or moral They refused to let their children play violent video games, believing that they caused pollution in a developing mind.

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Examples of pollution in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Recent Examples on the Web Vernice Miller-Travis, a longtime advocate for environmental justice, hailed the EPA grants, which come after years of complaints by environmental and public health leaders that harmful pollution from the nation’s ports too often was overlooked. Matthew Daly, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024 More than 20 chief executives from some of the world’s largest companies have called on governments to agree ‘global binding rules’ to address the issue of plastic pollution. Jamie Hailstone, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 Perhaps the most important step the next president could take to curb plastic pollution is to push Congress to ratify and implement the United Nations’ global plastics treaty, which is scheduled to be finalized by the end of this year. Vox Staff, Vox, 24 Oct. 2024 The priority needs to be preventing pollution now instead of cleaning it up later. Justine Calma, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pollution 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pollution
Noun
  • The Food and Drug Administration has also said the slivered onions, supplied by food producer Taylor Farms Colorado Springs, are the most likely source of contamination.
    Erika Edwards, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024
  • That plant was cited by the FDA last September for failing to properly investigate bacterial contamination.
    Madison Muller, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Topline Investigators specializing in financial crime and corruption raided the Paris office of streaming giant Netflix Tuesday morning, multiple outlets reported, as a simultaneous search took place at the company’s EMEA headquarters in Amsterdam.
    Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
  • That ban, which dated to the 1800s, was designed to reduce bribery and corruption during elections, Reuters reported.
    Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The best air purifiers remove air pollutants like pollen, dust, smoke, and pet dander, and many can also help eliminate unwelcome odors.
    Camryn Rabideau, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024
  • The Indian government also launched its nationwide Clean Air Programme in 2019, ushering in strategies across 24 states and union territories to reduce particulate matter concentration, a term for air pollutants, by 40% by 2026.
    Noemi Cassanelli, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near pollution

Cite this Entry

“Pollution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pollution. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

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