toxic waste

noun

: unwanted chemicals that are the result of manufacturing or industry and that are poisonous to living things
The company was fined for dumping toxic waste into the river.
toxic waste dumps/sites
Toxic wastes were detected in the soil samples.

Examples of toxic waste in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Both reflect a deep passion for a particular place—Johnson’s Middle Tennessee, Hiaasen’s South Florida—and a mixture of exasperation and grief at the destruction of the natural world to make room for megamansions and toxic waste dumps. Francine Prose, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026 If a company dumps toxic waste into a local river and your children get sick and die, there is no value lost, there are no damages, no liability—the ultimate rationale for Milton Friedman’s externalization of costs. Andrew Behar, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2026 But the new reports issued by the IG’s remaining staff still lay out the risks posed by a warming planet to the nation’s most dangerous toxic waste sites. ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026 Carolyn McCrady, Gary resident and member of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, said she’s been involved with the investigation of toxic waste that lies beneath a cover at the Lake Sandy Jo site. Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for toxic waste

Cite this Entry

“Toxic waste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toxic%20waste. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster