as in to contaminate
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
outmoded factories polluting the air
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Recent Examples of pollute
Getty Images Residents living near the aging and polluting U.S. steel plants in Indiana and Pennsylvania have been raising alarms for decades about the environmental and health harms, and medical associations and industry experts have echoed their calls.
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MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
Fashion’s dirty secret Textile dyeing is actually one of the most chemically intensive and polluting elements of garment production, accounting for roughly 20% of global industrial water pollution.
—Maeve Campbell, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
In recent years, anti-natural-gas activists conducted a campaign to convince the public that such appliances pollute their indoor air.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 15 June 2025
Beware of anyone telling you coal or gas is the answer to high energy bills, especially when their profit margins are tied to these polluting fossil fuels.
—Emily Scarr, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pollute
MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
Fashion’s dirty secret Textile dyeing is actually one of the most chemically intensive and polluting elements of garment production, accounting for roughly 20% of global industrial water pollution.
—Maeve Campbell, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
In recent years, anti-natural-gas activists conducted a campaign to convince the public that such appliances pollute their indoor air.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 15 June 2025
Beware of anyone telling you coal or gas is the answer to high energy bills, especially when their profit margins are tied to these polluting fossil fuels.
—Emily Scarr, Baltimore Sun, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pollute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pollute
Verb
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Floodwaters can be contaminated with debris, as well as high levels of bacteria, chemicals, waste and other pollutants, which can cause prolonged health risks, the experts said.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
11 July 2025
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United Natural Foods, Inc., based in Rhode Island, announced the voluntary recall for the products on June 7 after they were possibly contaminated with fluid from a reach truck.—
Matthew Robinson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Verb
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The health secretary said vegetable oils, like canola and soybean, are poisoning Americans and driving the obesity epidemic.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
8 July 2025
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Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world’s most-lethal fungus.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
7 July 2025
Verb
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With him alive, she was tainted by association with his poor behavior.—
Ann Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
9 July 2025
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Combs’ reputation has been thoroughly tainted by the lurid details of the trial and strong condemnations from his many accusers.—
August Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pollute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pollute. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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