as in pollutes
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
a supply of drinking water that was contaminated by a toxic waste dump
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Recent Examples of contaminates
This plastic contaminates the paper, complicating recyclability and impacting biodegradability.
—
Etiido Uko
march 28, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
Coal burning power plants are also significant producers of carbon dioxide, a planet-warming gas, and once burned, the fuel leaves a dangerous ashy residue that readily contaminates groundwater and is difficult to remediate.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 25 Feb. 2026
These cards may contain batteries or nonrecyclable material that contaminates other paper.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Untreated nitrogen often contaminates groundwater and causes algal blooms that damage ecosystems.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
Leached water from textile waste in landfills contaminates groundwater with harmful chemicals and dyes, which can alter the pH and clarity of surface water.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Etiido Uko
march 28, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
Coal burning power plants are also significant producers of carbon dioxide, a planet-warming gas, and once burned, the fuel leaves a dangerous ashy residue that readily contaminates groundwater and is difficult to remediate.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 25 Feb. 2026
These cards may contain batteries or nonrecyclable material that contaminates other paper.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 31 Dec. 2025
Untreated nitrogen often contaminates groundwater and causes algal blooms that damage ecosystems.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
Leached water from textile waste in landfills contaminates groundwater with harmful chemicals and dyes, which can alter the pH and clarity of surface water.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminates
Verb
-
Fertilizer runoff pollutes water sources and fuels toxic algae blooms.—
Frank Morris,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2026
-
As my colleague Iris Kwok explains, that’s due to the state’s higher taxes and stricter requirements for cleaner, more expensive gas that pollutes.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sensing Scarlet’s resolve to destroy him, Claudius poisons her.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contaminates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminates. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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