as in cleaning
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 decontaminating
The traditional boundaries between work and life dissolved as workers tried to maintain productivity through economic upheaval, all while decontaminating groceries and managing their children’s online classes.
—
Tess Lawrence,
Harvard Business Review,
1 July 2026
Among our responsibilities was decontaminating people and equipment after exposure to hazardous materials.
—
Jennifer N. Pritzker,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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
Tess Lawrence,
Harvard Business Review,
1 July 2026
Among our responsibilities was decontaminating people and equipment after exposure to hazardous materials.
—
Jennifer N. Pritzker,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminating
Verb
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Then, cleaning robots would handle waste detection and room upkeep using AI.
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Another green measure is the recycling of soap bars through cleaning solutions company Diversy’s Soap for Hope program.
Verb
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Lower courts have ruled against Arizona’s method of purging voter rolls within 90 days of an election.
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Here was a symbolic way of purging Hindu society of untouchability.
Verb
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Deschamps’ side had scored 13 goals in four games, sweeping a competitive Sweden team aside in the previous round.
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And while the weather this summer was always expected to be a challenge, the heat wave sweeping the US has made monitoring the temperatures of World Cup players an even higher priority.
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminating. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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