contaminate Hear it!

contaminate Definition

con·tami·nate (kən tam′ə nāt′)

transitive verb -·nat′ed, -·nat′·ing

to make impure, infected, corrupt, radioactive, etc. by contact with or addition of something; pollute; defile; sully; taint

Etymology: ME contaminaten < L contaminatus, pp. of contaminare, to defile < contamen, contact, contagion < com-, together + base of tangere, to touch: see tact

contaminate Related Forms

con·tam′i·na′·tive adjective con·tam′i·na′·tor noun

contaminate Synonyms

contaminate

v.

taint, pollute, defile, infect, poison, sully, spoil, corrupt, adulterate, dirty, soil, foul, befoul, vitiate, debase, radioactivate; see also corrupt 1, dirty.

contaminate means to make impure, unclean, or unfit for use through contact or addition milk contaminated by radioactive fallout; taint emphasizes effect over cause and implies that some measure of decay or corruption has taken place tainted meat; pollute implies complete befoulment through contamination, and now often suggests an impairment of purity that makes something injurious to health; defile implies pollution or desecration of that which should be kept pure or sacred

contaminate Usage Examples

Object

  • groundwater: The virus can survive in landfill sites and could contaminate groundwater.
  • landrace: Recently, Mexican farmers were dismayed to find their indigenous landraces widely contaminated by genetically modified corn.
  • watercourse: But then NG wayleave officers failed to comply, and NG failed to deal with leaking mats potentially contaminating a watercourse.
  • foodstuff: This applies even if they are allowed to contaminate foodstuffs.
  • soil: Children who eat soil contaminated with feces are at risk.
  • crop: The Bill would also ensure that any farmer who found his crop contaminated with GM, could recover damages from the GM company responsible.

Preposition: with

  • salmonella: Current government statistics estimate that 1 in every 200 eggs is still contaminated with salmonella.
  • feces: Children who eat soil contaminated with feces are at risk.
  • feces: Transmission of HAV generally occurs when susceptible persons put anything in their mouths that has been contaminated with the feces of an infected person.
  • sewage: Avoid swimming where water may be contaminated with untreated sewage.
  • arsenic: Years of industrial metal and mining activity in the area have left sediments contaminated with arsenic, copper and zinc.
  • micro-organism: This should ensure that the food is not contaminated with micro-organisms which were on your hands prior to washing.

Subject

  • feces: It is caused by a virus and has always been felt to be spread by food or water which has been contaminated by feces.
  • oa: Cereals used for human consumption were found to be less frequently contaminated by OA than those destined for use in animal feed.
  • sewage: It is usually contracted through eating or drinking food or water contaminated by infected sewage or feces.
  • bacterium: Infection is caused by breathing in small droplets of water contaminated by the bacteria.

Modifying Another Word

radioactively: It has been claimed that the Irish Sea is the most radioactively contaminated in the world.

Preposition: by

  • feces: It is caused by a virus and has always been felt to be spread by food or water which has been contaminated by feces.
  • oa: Cereals used for human consumption were found to be less frequently contaminated by OA than those destined for use in animal feed.
  • sewage: It is usually contracted through eating or drinking food or water contaminated by infected sewage or feces.