as in to clean
to remove dirty or dangerous substances (such as radioactive material) from (a person, thing, place, etc.)
Special workers were called in to decontaminate the area after the oil spill.
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Recent Examples of decontaminate
The investigation comes a week after Beijing News reported that companies where using tankers to transport fuel and cooking oil without properly decontaminating the tankers between trips in order to save money.
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Bruce Gil, Quartz, 11 July 2024
The patients consisted of local nursing school students who were acting out their symptoms, including one screaming for their daughter, and several dummies, a few inflated that workers had to decontaminate.
—Nhat V. Meyer, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024
The state also requires any boat be decontaminated when moving between waters to try and prevent spreading invasive species.
Both Michigan and Wisconsin killed bills that aimed to pass broad wake surfing regulations.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 20 June 2024
The soil needed to be decontaminated of lead and other harmful chemicals because the site had once been a city dump.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for decontaminate 
Bruce Gil, Quartz, 11 July 2024
The patients consisted of local nursing school students who were acting out their symptoms, including one screaming for their daughter, and several dummies, a few inflated that workers had to decontaminate.
—Nhat V. Meyer, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024
The state also requires any boat be decontaminated when moving between waters to try and prevent spreading invasive species.
Both Michigan and Wisconsin killed bills that aimed to pass broad wake surfing regulations.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 20 June 2024
The soil needed to be decontaminated of lead and other harmful chemicals because the site had once been a city dump.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for decontaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate
Verb
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More news: Eagles Star Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson Exits Game With Apparent Concussion Despite essentially cleaning house on the offensive side of the ball, the Raiders have not seen much success.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
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Photograph: Lisa Wood Shapiro The Shark S1000 Steam Mop ($70) did a solid job cleaning my hardwood floors.Lisa Wood Shapiro, WIRED, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Up in a suite at Northwest Stadium, sat Borek’s family, likely wiping aside a few tears.Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 14 Dec. 2024
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Neither was the moment toward the end when Glinda wipes a tear from Elphaba’s face.Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Anti-religious groups seeking to purge the public square of religious imagery weaved a false narrative to accomplish their mission.Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
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Even after the Guardians’ second deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the motivation to purge Giménez’s remaining $96.5 million was clear.Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The warm front is a sharp contrast to the close of last week when an arctic surge swept across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with snow squalls, whiteouts and intense bursts of wind that left 20 million Americans under winter weather warnings or advisories.Susan Miller, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024
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Rebels swept through major cities in Syria over the past week, taking four major cities before the key city of Homs fell on Saturday.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near decontaminate
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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