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
Contaminated Water Recreational or drinking water gets contaminated when septic tanks leak into wells, when an infected person vomits or defecates in the water, or when wastewater isn’t treated properly to decontaminate it.
—
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Dec. 2025
Radiation protection personnel allegedly responded to the incident quickly, pulling the worker from the water and decontaminating him safely.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Dec. 2025
Radiation protection personnel allegedly responded to the incident quickly, pulling the worker from the water and decontaminating him safely.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for decontaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate
Verb
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Coming off an excruciating 119-loss season, the Rockies cleaned house in the front office and promised a new, exciting era of baseball.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
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Kelse Redd, owner of professional cleaning company So Fresh So Clean, recommends starting with the blinds, fully dusting and wiping them down.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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State law prohibits a project that uses federal tax-credit financing or other public incentives from applying for the local property tax break — another provision Weber’s change would wipe from code.—
Mark Dee
March 26,
Idaho Statesman,
26 Mar. 2026
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How did this non-franchise movie wipe the floor with the competition?—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Of the 44 officers selected to join the Communist Party’s top-leadership council, 40 have been purged or gone missing since mid-2023, Neil Thomas, a fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, told me.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
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Trump has since purged both commissions of critics and appointed loyalists to take their places.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Most people would agree that cheating and planning a school shooting are hardly equal offenses, and Borgli doesn't totally stick the landing by sweeping Emma's past impulses under the rug.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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The roofline sweeps low and sleek.—
Sponsored Content,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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