contaminate
gb/kəntˈæmənˌeɪt/ us/kəntˈæmənˌeɪt/
B2
Inglês
~ 8500
szennyez, beszennyez, megront, károsan befolyásol, megfertőz
VERBO
B2
1
szennyez
B1
beszennyez
B1
Padrão de uso:
to contaminate [something] with [substance]
Chemicals from the factory leaked into the river and contaminated the drinking water.
A gyárból vegyszerek szivárogtak a folyóba, és beszennyezték az ivóvizet.
The meat was contaminated with bacteria and had to be thrown away.
A hús baktériumokkal volt szennyezett, ezért ki kellett dobni.
Oil from the shipwreck has contaminated miles of coastline.
Lead paint can contaminate the dust in old houses and harm children.
Scientists are worried that plastic waste is contaminating the entire food chain.
Exemplos para estudantes
The dirty water contaminated the well.
A piszkos víz beszennyezte a kutat.
Do not let raw chicken juice contaminate other food.
Ne hagyd, hogy a nyers csirkehús leve más ételeket beszennyezzen.
The river was contaminated with oil after the accident.
Old pipes can contaminate the water in your home.
The doctor said the blood sample was contaminated and could not be used.
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse "contaminate" with "pollute" and use them interchangeably. "Pollute" is more common for environmental problems in general, while "contaminate" often highlights that a specific thing (water, food, blood, sample) has been made unsafe by a particular substance. Another common mistake is using the wrong preposition: it is usually "contaminate [something] with [substance]", not *"contaminate [something] by [substance]" in this core sense.
Significado
make something dirty or unsafe
Colocações
contaminate water
|contaminate food
|contaminate soil
|contaminate drinking water
|contaminate the environment
|contaminate the blood
Sinônimos
pollute (Commonly used for air, water, and environment; slightly broader and more frequent in everyday speech.)
|
taint (Suggests adding something that spoils purity or quality; can sound slightly more formal or literary.)
|
foul (Emphasizes making something very dirty or unpleasant, especially in smell or taste.)
Antônimos
purify (Focuses on removing dirty or harmful substances so that something becomes clean or safe.)
Temas
environment
|health
|science
|core_vocabulary
Definição
to make something dirty or not safe by putting a bad or dangerous substance in or on it
To make a substance, place, or thing impure, dirty, or unsafe by adding or introducing a harmful or unwanted substance such as chemicals, germs, or waste.
VERBO
C1
2
Padrão de uso:
to contaminate [abstract thing] with [negative influence]
Many parents worry that violent games will contaminate their children's minds.
Sok szülő attól tart, hogy az erőszakos játékok megfertőzik a gyerekeik elméjét.
The judge ruled that the leaked interview could contaminate the jury pool.
A bíró úgy ítélte meg, hogy a kiszivárgott interjú elfogulttá teheti a lehetséges esküdteket.
He argued that money from special interest groups would contaminate the political process.
Some critics say that tourism has contaminated the local culture with outside values.
Hate speech online can contaminate public debate and make compromise impossible.
Exemplos para estudantes
They say bad friends can contaminate a young person’s character.
Azt mondják, hogy a rossz barátok megronthatják egy fiatal jellemét.
The lawyer said news reports might contaminate the jury.
Az ügyvéd szerint a sajtóbeszámolók elfogulttá tehetik az esküdteket.
Some people think these ideas will contaminate our culture.
Greed can contaminate a group that once wanted to help others.
The teacher did not want rumors to contaminate the discussion.
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes think this figurative sense is always physical and try to use concrete objects as the thing that is contaminated. In this meaning, the object is usually abstract, like "minds", "culture", "process", or "debate". Also, do not say *"contaminate someone to bad ideas"; use "contaminate someone with bad ideas" or "contaminate their thinking".
Significado
influence so it becomes corrupt
Colocações
contaminate young minds
|contaminate public opinion
|contaminate the jury
|contaminate the process
|contaminate the culture
Sinônimos
corrupt (Very close in meaning; stresses moral damage, especially in politics, money, or power relations.)
|
poison (Strong, figurative term; emphasizes deeply harmful influence on attitudes or relationships.)
Antônimos
uplift (Suggests improving people morally or emotionally, the opposite of dragging them down.)
Temas
society
|ethics
|psychology
|emotions
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definição
to have a bad effect on people, ideas, or systems so that they become less pure or less good
To have a bad or corrupting influence on people, ideas, activities, or systems, making them morally, socially, or culturally worse.
Gramática
Forma no dicionário
contaminate
AFI
GB/kəntˈæmənˌeɪt/
US/kəntˈæmənˌeɪt/
Sílabas e tonicidade
con - tam - in - ate (4 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (tam)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: contaminate
- 3rd Person Singular: contaminates
- Present Participle: contaminating
- Past: contaminated
Família de palavras
Forms
contaminates
verb
contaminating
verb
contaminated
verb
Core family
contamination
noun B2
Related words
contaminant
noun B2
decontaminate
verb
Negative and opposite forms
uncontaminated
adjective
Advanced or less common
decontamination
noun
Expressões
contaminate the water supply
1/kəntˈæmənˌeɪt ðə wˈɔtɚ səplˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
make a town’s water unsafe
to make the water that many people use for drinking and daily life dirty or dangerous
Exemplos
- A broken sewage pipe can contaminate the water supply of an entire neighborhood.
- Officials warned that floodwaters might contaminate the water supply.
- The chemical spill did not contaminate the water supply, according to the city report.
contaminate with
1/kəntˈæmənˌeɪt wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
make something impure with something
to make something dirty or unsafe by putting a named bad substance in or on it
Exemplos
- The lettuce was contaminated with E. coli bacteria.
- The soil around the factory is contaminated with heavy metals.
- Several batches of medicine were contaminated with glass particles.