Cambridge Dictionaries online Cambridge Dictionaries online

The most popular online dictionary and thesaurus for learners of English

  

contaminate

 
/kənˈtæmɪneɪt/ verb [T] ENVIRONMENT

Definition

to make something less pure or make it poisonous: The government recently reported that 10% of farmland has been destroyed by pollution and that heavy metals contaminate 12 million tons of grain a year. There are fears that exported products could contaminate food supplies abroad.
contamination noun [U] The report concluded that bacterial contamination at the factory could occur no matter what technology was being used.
(Definition of contaminate verb from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“contaminate” in other dictionaries

Word of the Day

come rain or shine

whatever happens

Word of the Day

Blog

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Learn More

New Words

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.

Learn More