MEANING
To make a substance, surface, or body impure or unsafe by introducing an unwanted agent.
Use it for
Invisible exposure; compromised sterile barriers; dangerous matter crossing a boundaryLet an apparently ordinary object become unsafe through contact.
Words that belong together
- contaminate the water
- contaminated equipment
- contaminate a sample
On the page
The leaking vial contaminated the workbench.
No one knew whether the dust had contaminated their clothing.
A single unwashed instrument could contaminate every specimen.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- contaminate / contaminates
- Past tense
- contaminated
- Past participle
- contaminated
- Present participle
- contaminating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- contaminate / contaminates
- Present continuous
- am/is/are contaminating
- Present perfect
- have/has contaminated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been contaminating
- Past
- contaminated
- Past continuous
- was/were contaminating
- Past perfect
- had contaminated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been contaminating
- Future
- will contaminate / contaminates
- Future continuous
- will be contaminating
- Future perfect
- will have contaminated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been contaminating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Broader than infect: chemicals, radioactive material, or microbes may contaminate without causing infection. Specify the contaminant when clarity matters. Verb [base, third-person present, past, past participle, -ing]: contaminate, contaminates, contaminated, contaminated, contaminating. Derived/related family (not inflections): contamination and contaminant (nouns).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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