Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense contaminates, present participle contaminating, past tense, past participle contaminated
verb
If something is contaminatedby waste, dirt, chemicals, or radiation, it is made dirty or harmful.
Have any fish been contaminated in the Arctic Ocean? [beVERB-ed]
...vast tracts of empty land, much of it contaminated by years of army activity. [VERB-ed]
[Also VERB noun]
Synonyms: pollute, infect, stain, corrupt More Synonyms of contaminate
contaminatedadjective
Nuclear weapons plants across the country are heavily contaminated with toxic wastes. [+ with]
More than 100,000 people could fall ill after drinking contaminated water.
Synonyms: polluted, dirtied, poisoned, infected More Synonyms of contaminate
contamination (kəntæmɪneɪʃən)uncountable noun
...the contamination of the ocean by plastic. [+ of]
Synonyms: pollution, dirtying, infection, corruption More Synonyms of contaminate
contaminate in British English
verb (kənˈtæmɪˌneɪt)(transitive)
1.
to make impure, esp by touching or mixing; pollute
2.
to make radioactive by the addition of radioactive material
adjective (kənˈtæmɪnɪt, -ˌneɪt)
3. archaic
contaminated
Derived forms
contaminable (conˈtaminable)
adjective
contaminant (conˈtaminant)
noun
contaminative (conˈtaminative)
adjective
contaminator (conˈtamiˌnator)
noun
Word origin
C15: from Latin contamināre to defile; related to Latin contingere to touch
contaminate in American English
(kənˈtæməˌneɪt)
verb transitiveWord forms: conˈtamiˌnated or conˈtamiˌnating
to make impure, infected, corrupt, radioactive, etc. by contact with or addition of something; pollute; defile; sully; taint
SYNONYMY NOTE: contaminate means to make impure, unclean, or unfit for use through contact or addition [fumes were contaminating the air]; taint emphasizes effect over cause and implies that some measure of decay or corruptionhas taken place [tainted food]; pollute implies complete befoulment, decay, or corruption through contamination; , defile1 implies pollution or desecration of that which should be held sacred
Derived forms
contaminative (conˈtamiˌnative)
adjective
contaminator (conˈtamiˌnator)
noun
Word origin
ME contaminaten < L contaminatus, pp. of contaminare, to defile < contamen, contact, contagion < com-, together + base of tangere, to touch: see tact
Examples of 'contaminate' in a sentence
contaminate
Then as if it might contaminate him he let it fall sideways into the bed of pine needles.
Thomas, Rosie THE WHITE DOVE (2001)
This could be a crime scene and the less we contaminate it the better.
Anthony Masters CASCADES - THE DAY OF THE DEAD (2001)
Bruno turned away, not wanting to contaminate her with that vision.
Appiganesi, Lisa DREAMS OF INNOCENCE (2001)
It would send up a cloud of nuclear fallout that could contaminate all of Southern California.
James W. Huston FALLOUT (2001)
In other languages
contaminate
British English: contaminate VERB
If something is contaminated by dirt, chemicals, or radiation, they make it dirty or harmful.
Have any fish been contaminated in the ocean?
American English: contaminate
Brazilian Portuguese: contaminar
Chinese: 污染
European Spanish: contaminar
French: contaminer
German: verseuchen
Italian: contaminare
Japanese: 汚染する
Korean: 오염시키다
European Portuguese: contaminar
Latin American Spanish: contaminar
Chinese translation of 'contaminate'
contaminate
(kənˈtæmɪneɪt)
vt
[water, food, soil etc]污染 (wūrǎn)
(verb)
Definition
to make impure
The fishing waters have been contaminated with toxic wastes.
Synonyms
pollute
beaches polluted by sewage pumped into the sea
infect
The birds infect the milk.
stain
It was too late. Their reputation had been stained.
corrupt
taint
Rancid oil will taint the flavour.
sully
I felt loath to sully the gleaming brass knocker by handling it.
defile
piles of old clothes defiled with excrement
adulterate
The food had been adulterated to increase its weight.
befoul
soil
Young people don't want to do things that soil their hands.
Opposites
clean
,
cleanse
,
purify
,
sterilize
,
disinfect
,
fumigate
,
decontaminate
,
deodorize
,
sanitize
Additional synonyms
in the sense of adulterate
Definition
to spoil something by adding inferior material
The food had been adulterated to increase its weight.