as in to clean
to remove dirty or dangerous substances (such as radioactive material) from (a person, thing, place, etc.)
Special workers were called in to decontaminate the area after the oil spill.
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Recent Examples of decontaminate
Soldiers have to suit up in cumbersome NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protective gear and spend about an hour decontaminating a single vehicle.
—
Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2024
Some residents are allowed to visit their homes but can’t move back there while thousands of workers remove topsoil, branches, and other materials to decontaminate these areas.
—Amanda Kennell, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2024
Toby and Will have to work out their issues, CJ lays some hard truths on Donna, and Leo and Abbey have a frank discussion while Bartlet, Debbie, and Charlie are decontaminated.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2024
On a hot summer day in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, dozens of men removed pipes, asbestos and hazardous waste while working to decontaminate a nuclear facility and prepare it for demolition.
—Cathy Bussewitz, The Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decontaminate 
Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2024
Some residents are allowed to visit their homes but can’t move back there while thousands of workers remove topsoil, branches, and other materials to decontaminate these areas.
—Amanda Kennell, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2024
Toby and Will have to work out their issues, CJ lays some hard truths on Donna, and Leo and Abbey have a frank discussion while Bartlet, Debbie, and Charlie are decontaminated.
—Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2024
On a hot summer day in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, dozens of men removed pipes, asbestos and hazardous waste while working to decontaminate a nuclear facility and prepare it for demolition.
—Cathy Bussewitz, The Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for decontaminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decontaminate
Verb
-
Use a disinfecting wipe to clean the inside and outside of the garbage can.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
19 Jan. 2025
-
Some viewers gave good reasons for waiting to clean.—
Brian Anthony Hernandez,
People.com,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But this sweeping action has wiped clean the slate for them.—
Shayla Colon,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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Kennedy wiped his iPhone clean after learning that federal authorities were seeking information about people who entered the Capitol that day.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
22 Jan. 2025
Verb
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To purge their body of nitrogen, an astronaut needs to breathe pure oxygen for a few hours, both before and after donning a spacesuit.—
Regina Kim,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
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My Bitdefender contact explained that the clean bill of health in the dashboard refers to the fact that my personal data was already purged from data brokers during my reviews of other similar products.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Cowboys beat the Eagles 21-20 in that 2005 game in Philadelphia to sweep the season series.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
18 Jan. 2025
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Moise’s concern led to investigators sweeping Puente’s home for clues, eventually digging up the bodies of Montoya and six other people in the backyard.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
18 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near decontaminate
Cite this Entry
“Decontaminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decontaminate. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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