How to Use contaminate in a Sentence
contaminate
verb- Don't touch the microchip or the oil on your hands will contaminate it.
- Make sure the white paint is not contaminated by any of the other colors.
- Be careful not to allow bacteria to contaminate the wound.
-
That’s because plants change the soil that they are grown in, says Paul, and so would contaminate the samples.
— Stephen Ornes, Discover Magazine, 23 Dec. 2022 -
These items can cause jams in the balers and contaminate whole batches of plastic.
— Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 14 Mar. 2022 -
All that can contaminate water and soil, not to mention lay waste to large tracts of land.
— Bydennis Normile, science.org, 1 Nov. 2022 -
Just don't bring the muckier parts of it inside to build up and contaminate our homes.
— Mark Patrick Taylor, CBS News, 26 May 2023 -
For hard cheeses where the mold is not part of the processing, cut at least 1 inch around and below the mold, taking care not to drag the knife through the mold and cross contaminate the rest.
— Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2022 -
But chromium is present in the crust and might have leached into the layer and contaminated it.
— Byadam Mann, science.org, 15 Aug. 2024 -
This urban food myth contends that if food spends just a few seconds on the floor, dirt and germs won’t have much of a chance to contaminate it.
— Paul Dawson, CNN, 27 May 2022 -
The space was too small for large tools; a lubricant for the screws could have contaminated the samples.
— Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024 -
The virus spreads through droppings or the nasal discharge of an infected bird, which can contaminate dust and soil.
— Josh Funk, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2022 -
Because the germs on shoes can easily spread to your floors, and then contaminate your house as a result.
— Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 14 Apr. 2022 -
The same works to help keep out potential bacteria that can contaminate the greens and cause people to get sick.
— Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Aug. 2022 -
Their actions become more toxic and contaminate all of the folks around them.
— Jack Kelly, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2022 -
The other was that ashy sludge could contaminate the water itself.
— Ella Nilsen, CNN, 3 Sep. 2022 -
But cooking deli meat at high heat can kill any germs that may contaminate these products.
— Lisa Rapaport, EverydayHealth.com, 22 July 2024 -
This can lead to surface runoff, which can contaminate water, spread pathogens, seed algae blooms and kill fish.
— Bennet Goldstein, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 -
The problem with putting a turkey on a higher shelf is that the juices, which are full of bacteria, can drip down and contaminate other food.
— Jennifer Aldrich, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Nov. 2023 -
According to the plaintiffs, the waste from construction and traffic could contaminate the streams and harm fish.
— Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Dec. 2021 -
The child who brought the gummy bears was one of the seven who fell sick, and their sibling also brought gummy bears but they were not contaminated.
— Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2023 -
The virus can spread through contact with body fluids, sores or items such as clothing and bedding contaminated with the virus.
— Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN, 11 May 2023 -
Sometimes toxic fumes from other parts of the plane can get sucked into the main cabin and, since there's no filter, contaminate the air.
— Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 20 June 2024 -
Seine swimming had been banned since 1923, the year before Paris last hosted the Olympics, due to the health risk posed by a river contaminated by a city’s wastewater.
— Helen Massy-Beresford, WIRED, 2 Aug. 2024 -
However, if the air is contaminated, the number will decrease and the ring of light will change to either orange or red.
— Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 July 2023 -
If the flows were allowed to raise the underground aquifer’s level high enough, the water table could reach the landfill and contaminate the water.
— Ian James, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2021 -
Once the leather has been colored, the leftover chemical solution can go on to contaminate rivers, soil and food.
— Leah Dolan, CNN, 9 Nov. 2021 -
The Asian lady beetle, one of the species found in California, feeds on grapes late in the season and its flavor can contaminate wine if harvested with the fruit.
— Susan Pransky, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023 -
Also, amines are potential carcinogenic agents and can contaminate air, soil, and water, so plants need to figure in an attendant expense to manage environmental risks.
— Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 -
Heavy metal contamination: In addition to mercury, sardines may be contaminated by other heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead.
— Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 31 Oct. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contaminate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Last Updated: