as in polluting
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
a supply of drinking water that was contaminated by a toxic waste dump
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of contaminating
Thousands of Princeton undergraduates took it upon themselves to search the nearby woods, despite official concerns about contaminating potential evidence.
—
Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
Millions of gallons of untreated wastewater flow daily from Mexico’s Tijuana River across the border into the United States, contaminating beaches near Imperial Beach and exposing nearby communities to toxic gases including hydrogen sulfide.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Researchers should move away from ad hoc disclosure that risks contaminating results and toward systems that earn trust both in the public sphere and the academic realm.
—Ian Reardon, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
When checking your freezer, inspect glass jars and containers for cracks, which can lead to glass shards contaminating food.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 31 Jan. 2026
As a result, sewage blockages and overflows became widespread, increasing the risk of wastewater contaminating drinking water sources and heightening the likelihood of outbreaks of diarrhea, hepatitis A and other waterborne diseases in an already vulnerable community.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In the lead- and zinc-rich northeast, mining can release acidic drainage caused by oxidation of sulfide minerals, which can leach heavy metals from mining waste, contaminating waterways.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
The destruction released up to 30,000 tons of oil into the Mediterranean, contaminating 170 kilometers of Lebanese coastline.
—Josiane Yazbeck, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
Still contaminating air, livestock and humans are more than 500 unreclaimed uranium mines on Navajo land.
—Zak Podmore, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
Millions of gallons of untreated wastewater flow daily from Mexico’s Tijuana River across the border into the United States, contaminating beaches near Imperial Beach and exposing nearby communities to toxic gases including hydrogen sulfide.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Researchers should move away from ad hoc disclosure that risks contaminating results and toward systems that earn trust both in the public sphere and the academic realm.
—Ian Reardon, STAT, 2 Feb. 2026
When checking your freezer, inspect glass jars and containers for cracks, which can lead to glass shards contaminating food.
—Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 31 Jan. 2026
As a result, sewage blockages and overflows became widespread, increasing the risk of wastewater contaminating drinking water sources and heightening the likelihood of outbreaks of diarrhea, hepatitis A and other waterborne diseases in an already vulnerable community.
—Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
In the lead- and zinc-rich northeast, mining can release acidic drainage caused by oxidation of sulfide minerals, which can leach heavy metals from mining waste, contaminating waterways.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
The destruction released up to 30,000 tons of oil into the Mediterranean, contaminating 170 kilometers of Lebanese coastline.
—Josiane Yazbeck, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
Still contaminating air, livestock and humans are more than 500 unreclaimed uranium mines on Navajo land.
—Zak Podmore, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contaminating
Verb
-
View gallery - 4 images Electric passenger ferries offer a promising alternative to polluting fossil-fuel guzzlers given the relatively short hops these vessels need to make per trip.—
Stefan Ionescu
February 04,
New Atlas,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Due to these conditions, the region is highly reliant on expensive and polluting diesel fuel transported by truck, plane, or barge.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There are even tales of them poisoning people and holding funerals for their dead.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Officials in both Hong Kong and Beijing defended the case against Lai, with the city’s leader John Lee accusing the newspaper of inciting violence and poisoning young minds.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contaminating. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
