| English Dictionary |
CONTAMINATING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does contaminating mean?
• CONTAMINATING (adjective)
The adjective CONTAMINATING has 2 senses:
1. spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination
2. that infects or taints
Familiarity information: CONTAMINATING used as an adjective is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Spreading pollution or contamination; especially radioactive contamination
Synonyms:
contaminating; dirty
Context example:
a dirty bomb releases enormous amounts of long-lived radioactive fallout
Sense 2
Meaning:
That infects or taints
Synonyms:
contaminating; corrupting
Similar:
infectious (easily spread)
Context examples
Landing on Ceres to investigate its interior would be technically challenging and would risk contaminating the dwarf planet.
(Dawn Finds Possible Ancient Ocean Remnants at Ceres, NASA)
When marine organisms ingest these microplastics, the pollutant particles get detached from them, contaminating organisms' tissues and harming their nervous and hormonal systems.
(Microplastic pollution adds to oceans’ problems, scidev.net)
The researchers behind the study said that pesticides applied to Brazilian crops are contaminating food and water consumed by both people livestock.
(Pesticides blamed for rise in colon cancer deaths, SciDev.Net)
The astronomers needed STIS's sharp resolution to isolate the faint light from the black-hole region and block out contaminating starlight.
(Hubble Uncovers Black Hole Disk that Shouldn't Exist, NASA)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Fun and pleasure are located below the navel; dispute and trouble are also located there." (Bhutanese proverb)
"If there's no choice but advice, ask for the decisiveness of an advisor or the advice of a decisive person." (Arabic proverb)
"Better a good neighbour than a distant friend." (Dutch proverb)