pollute

[ puh-loot ]

verb (used with object)

, pol·lut·ed, pol·lut·ing.

1. to make foul or unclean, especially with harmful chemical or waste products; dirty:

   to pollute the air with smoke.

   Synonyms: befoul, soil

   Antonyms: purify

2. to make morally unclean; defile.

   Synonyms: deprave, debase, corrupt, vitiate, contaminate, taint

   Antonyms: purify

3. to render ceremonially impure; desecrate:

   to pollute a house of worship.

4. Informal. to render less effective or efficient:

   The use of inferior equipment has polluted the company's service.

pollute

/ pəˈluːt /

verb

1. to contaminate, as with poisonous or harmful substances
2. to make morally corrupt or impure; sully
3. to desecrate or defile

Derived Forms

• polˈluter, noun

Other Words From

• pol·luter noun
• pol·lutive adjective
• nonpol·luting adjective
• unpol·luting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pollute¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English polute, from Latin pollūtus, past participle of polluere “to soil, defile,” equivalent to pol-, assimilated variant of por- “forth, forward” (variant of prefix per- ), here marking completed action + -lū- base of -luere (akin to lutum “mud, dirt,” lustrum “muddy place”) + -tus past participle suffix; per-

Word History and Origins

Origin of pollute¹

C14 polute, from Latin polluere to defile

Example Sentences

Lots of energy and water are needed to cool the exhaust streams, a requirement that has limited adoption of CO2 capture in some of the most polluting industries.

From Science Daily

Again, untreated effluent polluted the rivers and the local marsh rhyne drainage system.

From BBC

They say the only water they can find here is polluted.

From BBC

“Lahore is much more polluted than Delhi with pollution episodes that last longer and reach higher peaks,” he notes.

From BBC

The worst offenders, Gössling says, can pollute 550 times more than the average person in a given year through private jet travel alone.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• contaminate
• foul
• infect
• poison
• stain
• taint
• violate