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
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
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminating
Verb
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Make sure to use a damp mop rather than a soaking wet one, or use a floor spray designed for hardwood floors and a dry cleaning pad to clean the surface.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
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The facility’s employees lacked food safety knowledge in several areas including holding temperatures, proper sanitizing of food contact surfaces and cleaning frequency.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
February 13,
Sacbee.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Heaters are keeping the Orion capsule warm atop the rocket, officials said, and rocket-purging systems are also being adapted to the cold.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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And so every autocrat ends up purging any kind of critic.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The closures are just one example of major changes sweeping through metro Atlanta's school districts.—
Monique John,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Solodko recommends starting your twice-weekly mopping session by sweeping or vacuuming first.—
Heather Bien,
The Spruce,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminating. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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