pollutant
gb/pəlˈutənt/ us/pəlˈutənt/
B2
Anglais
~ 7000
Sens
0 sens
Nom
technical
B2
entity
1
substance that causes pollution
A substance that makes air, water, or land dirty or dangerous for people, animals, or plants.
Schéma d’usage :
a pollutant in [air/water/soil]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often confuse "pollutant" (a countable noun for the substance) with "pollution" (an uncountable noun for the general problem). For example, "There are many pollution in the river" is incorrect; it should be "There is a lot of pollution in the river" or "There are many pollutants in the river."
Synonymes
contaminant (More general; any unwanted substance that makes something impure, not only in environmental contexts.)
|
toxin (Stresses that the substance is poisonous or very harmful to health, not just dirtying the environment.)
Antonymes
purifier (Refers to something that removes harmful substances and makes air, water, or other materials cleaner, the opposite effect of a pollutant.)
Collocations
air pollutants
|water pollutants
|industrial pollutants
|harmful pollutants
|chemical pollutants
|remove pollutants
Thèmes
environment
|science
|health
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Car exhaust is a major air pollutant in many big cities.
- The factory was fined for releasing toxic pollutants into the river.
- Scientists are studying how these pollutants affect children's health.
- Strict new laws have reduced the amount of pollutants in the atmosphere.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Smoke from cars is an air pollutant.
- This river is full of pollutants from old factories.
- Many cleaners in the home can become pollutants in the air.
- We need to cut the level of pollutants in our city.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
pollutant
API
GB/pəlˈutənt/
US/pəlˈutənt/
Syllabes et accentuation
pol - lut - ant (3 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (lut)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: pollutant
- Plural: pollutants
Famille de mots
Expressions
air pollutant
1/ˈɛɹ pəlˈutənt/
fixed phrase
technical
polluting substance in the air
A substance in the air that makes the air dirty or unsafe to breathe.
Exemples
- Ozone is a common air pollutant in large cities during the summer.
- The new rules limit how much of each air pollutant a power plant can release.
industrial pollutant
1/ɪndˈʌstɹiəl pəlˈutənt/
fixed phrase
technical
pollutant from factories or industry
A harmful substance that comes from factories or other industrial work and pollutes air, water, or land.
Exemples
- The lake was damaged by industrial pollutants released over many years.
- Governments are under pressure to control industrial pollutants that cause climate change.
water pollutant
1/wˈɔtɚ pəlˈutənt/
fixed phrase
technical
polluting substance in water
A substance in water that makes the water dirty or unsafe to drink or use.
Exemples
- Oil is a serious water pollutant that can kill fish and birds.
- Farm chemicals are now the main water pollutants in this region.