as in to clean
to remove dirty or dangerous substances (such as radioactive material) from (a person, thing, place, etc.)
Special workers were called in to decontaminate the area after the oil spill.
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Recent Examples of decontaminate
Workers have complained of chemical burns from the waste material generated by the tunneling process, and firefighters must decontaminate their equipment after conducting rescues from the project sites.
—
Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Last week, a Democratic Congressional candidate was seen being thrown to the ground by a federal agent – the moment was captured on video – while local leaders reported having to leave the protest to decontaminate themselves after tear gas was deployed.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
There are free stations to decontaminate watercraft around the state — for more information go to the DNR website.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
Afterward, the animals were decontaminated and bathed, and those who experienced the most inhalation are being supervised at a veterinary clinic, Halverson said.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2025
Last week, a Democratic Congressional candidate was seen being thrown to the ground by a federal agent – the moment was captured on video – while local leaders reported having to leave the protest to decontaminate themselves after tear gas was deployed.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
There are free stations to decontaminate watercraft around the state — for more information go to the DNR website.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 16 Sep. 2025
Afterward, the animals were decontaminated and bathed, and those who experienced the most inhalation are being supervised at a veterinary clinic, Halverson said.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate
Verb
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When costumes finally come back after a show’s run, each one is cleaned in a laundry room that sees 60-80 garments come through in a day.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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The body is cleaned and prepared in the Muslim tradition, as the family takes one last look before the burial, while hired men recite the Koran.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Once the oven has cooled, wipe it thoroughly with a damp cloth to remove any soot left on the sides, bottom, and door.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
7 Feb. 2026
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After a few minutes, open the door and wipe the inside tops, bottom, and sides down with a clean cloth.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Unless a Nest user subscribes to a service that allows for quick access to review footage recorded on a device, Google routinely purges the footage rather than retain it indefinitely, said Stacey Higginbotham, a policy fellow at Consumer Reports who specializes in cybersecurity issues.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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From 2016 to 2019, around 4,000 judges in Turkey were purged and replaced with far less experienced judges who are supporters of Erdoğan.—
Kaya Genç,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While deep plane facelifts sweep Hollywood, there’s also a boom in non- and minimally-invasive treatments promising tighter, younger looking skin, sharper contours and a revitalized appearance, without the downtime required after going under the knife.—
Elycia Rubin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Most notable is the addition of an interchangeable dual-lace wrap, which sweeps from the barely there midsole and finishes with a bow atop the standard shoelaces.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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