tr.v., -nated, -nat·ing, -nates.
- To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture.
- To expose to or permeate with radioactivity.
One that contaminates; a contaminant.
[Middle English contaminaten, from Latin contāmināre, contāmināt-.]
contaminative con·tam'i·na'tive adj.contaminator con·tam'i·na'tor n.
SYNONYMS contaminate, befoul, foul, poison, pollute, taint. These verbs mean to make dirty or impure: Pesticides contaminated the lake. Mud befouled my shoes. Noxious fumes fouled the air. Drugs poisoned her mind. Exhaust polluted the air. Improper storage tainted the food.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
