Thesaurus results for POLLUTION

pollution

noun

Definition of pollution

as in contamination

the action or process of making the environment dirty or harmful The company designed devices to reduce the pollution of the world's oceans.

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as in corruption

something that makes (someone) less pure, honest, or moral They refused to let their children play violent video games, believing that they caused pollution in a developing mind.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pollution Edison is providing a $72 climate credit on summer electricity bills as a part of a California program that requires large facilities that produce greenhouse gas emissions to buy carbon pollution allowances. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 Two crews from the United States Coast Guard also responded to the scene to help with cleanup efforts and to remove debris or pollution from the beach. — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 The tanker was subsequently towed to the Port of Fujairah with no casualties or pollution. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026 The study, published in the journal Science, finds that El Niño events during the past 40 years have become 36% stronger than those before the industrial revolution, when people began to generate large volumes of climate pollution. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pollution

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pollution

Noun

About 15 percent of a subset of the products tested contained measurable levels of endotoxin, a sign of bacterial contamination during manufacture.

— Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
The researchers hope that in the future it will be used to identify counterfeit perfumes, detect pesticide contamination in olive oil, and offer better quality control across agriculture in general.

— Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of contamination

Noun

The two candidates have gone head-to-head in recent weeks over support of police and plans to fight corruption in what’s sure to be one of the top races to watch this fall.

— Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Sep. 2026
The alleged corruption occurred between 2019-24 while Hédouville headed the Office of Citizen Protection, the government agency charged with safeguarding human rights.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of corruption

Noun

Facilities would have to be on land zoned for heavy industrial use and could not be located near disadvantaged communities or populations sensitive to pollutants, such as hospitals, schools and nursing homes.

— Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Ancient rock art at Murujuga, or the Burrup Peninsula, in Western Australia, has seen much larger damaged than previously anticipated due to industrial pollutants found in air emissions.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of pollutant

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polluting

pollution

pollutions

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“Pollution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pollution. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pollution

noun

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