pollute
Other forms: polluted; polluting; pollutes
Pollute is a verb that means to make something dirty or impure. You can pollute a river by pouring waste into it, or you can pollute your body by eating way too much candy.
Pollute comes from the Latin word pollut-, meaning “soiled.” When you pollute something, it's soiled or contaminated, often by something poisonous. You might have heard the word pollution — pollution is the stuff that pollutes the environment. The word pollute can be used more figuratively to describe something that corrupts or degrades. For example, reading articles about celebrity weddings can pollute your mind.
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make impure“The industrial wastes polluted the lake”synonyms: contaminate, foultypes:superinfectinfect (an infected cell) further or infect a cell already containing similar organismssmutaffect with smut or mildew, as of a crop such as corn
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contaminate (the environment) with waste or harmful substances
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place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
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Vocabulary lists containing pollute
Stories about space rocks, an amazing dog, and a new species of water bear all contributed words to this list of vocabulary from the week's news.
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Twelve-year-old Jonathan Palmer; his six-year-old and partially-paralyzed sister, Abby; and their parents are camping in Northern California when an earthquake hits. Separated from their parents, and without food, water, or help, Jonathan, Abby, and their dog, Moose, have to survive the devastating quake and find their way to safety.