as in cleaned
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 decontaminated
From there, the walls had to be opened, the insulation had to be changed out and every horizontal surface had to be decontaminated or replaced.
—
Rina Nakano, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
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
Has been contaminated due to methamphetamine and the owner has not appealed or decontaminated the property within 90 days.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 June 2025
Rina Nakano, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
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
Has been contaminated due to methamphetamine and the owner has not appealed or decontaminated the property within 90 days.
—Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminated
Verb
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Depending on how often your household uses your microwave, the inside should be cleaned at least once a week with dish soap and hot water on a microfiber cloth.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
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These masks can be used multiple times if cleaned and kept in a dry place.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the days and weeks leading up to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, a nervous kind of hype swept America.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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Allan’s resignation adds to the sense that the scandal surrounding the Mandelson appointment cannot be contained and could spell the end of Starmer’s premiership, just 19 months after Labour swept to power in a landslide election that gave it the largest majority in Parliament this century.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Maybe that oversized bath sheet that isn’t getting used needs to be purged.—
Rebecca Jones,
Southern Living,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminated. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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