polluted; polluting
1
a
: to make ceremonially or morally impure : defile
b
: debase sense 1
… using language to deceive or mislead pollutes language.—
Linda C. Lederman
Linda C. Lederman
polluter
noun
Examples of pollute in a Sentence
Miles of beaches were polluted by the oil spill.
Car exhaust pollutes the air.
Recent Examples on the Web
In short, the toxic cloud of judgment that Borgli seeks to interrogate has settled around and polluted the reception to the movie itself, forming a kind of life-versus-art ouroboros that, in the eyes of the most cynical marketeers, might seem less a blow than an opportunity.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Sometimes, the water can be polluted and not look brown, but more cloudy or even colorless.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
California’s standards have spurred important technological innovations for vehicles, including new types of less-polluting gasoline and vehicles that emit no pollution at all.
—Ann E. Carlson, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
Vermont became the first state to enact a climate superfund law, modeled on the federal superfund law that taxed petroleum and chemical companies to pay to clean up sites polluted by toxic waste.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pollute
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Justin Chang, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Sometimes, the water can be polluted and not look brown, but more cloudy or even colorless.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
California’s standards have spurred important technological innovations for vehicles, including new types of less-polluting gasoline and vehicles that emit no pollution at all.
—Ann E. Carlson, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
Vermont became the first state to enact a climate superfund law, modeled on the federal superfund law that taxed petroleum and chemical companies to pay to clean up sites polluted by toxic waste.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pollute
Cite this Entry
“Pollute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pollute. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pollute
verb
pol·lute
pə-ˈlüt 
polluted; polluting
: to make impure
especially
: to spoil (as a natural resource) with waste made by humans
industrial wastes polluted the river
Medical Definition
pollute
transitive verb
pol·lute
pə-ˈlüt
polluted; polluting
1
: to make physically impure or unclean
2
: to contaminate (an environment) especially with anthropogenic waste
polluter
noun
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