contaminate

/kənˈtæm.ɪ.neɪt/ (bre, ipa) · [kəntˈæmənˌet] /kənˈtæm.ə.neɪt/ (ame, ipa) · [kəntˈæmənˌet] /kən-ˈta-mə-ˌnāt/ (ame, mw)

contaminate — 動詞

  • contaminatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • contaminates3rd person singular
  • contaminating-ing form
  • contaminatedpast simple

1. to make a substance, object, or place dirty, poisonous, or unsafe by adding a ha

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

污染

使原本純淨的事物摻入有害物質

to make a substance, object, or place dirty, poisonous, or unsafe by adding a harmful substance or something that does not belong there — for example, when chemicals leak into a river, when bacteria get into food, or when dust enters a medical sample.

例句

The factory waste contaminated the river near Nila's village, killing most of the fish.

工廠廢水污染了 Nila 家附近的河流，導致大部分魚類死亡。

passive possible: be contaminated with [waste]

Beatrix threw away the chicken because she worried that bacteria had contaminated it.

Beatrix 把那隻雞肉扔掉，因為她擔心已經被細菌污染了。

collocation: contaminated with bacteria/germs

同義詞
  • pollute

    stronger emphasis on large-scale environmental damage; 'contaminate' is preferred for specific substances or smaller-scale tainting

  • taint

    suggests a small amount of impurity that spoils the whole; often used for food or reputation, less clinical than 'contaminate'

  • corrupt

    abstract or moral sense; not used for physical impurities

反義詞
  • purify

    to remove harmful substances; opposite process

  • clean

    general-purpose; less technical than 'purify'

文法句型

contaminate + noun phrase

be contaminated with/by + noun phrase

用法筆記

Often used in environmental, medical, and food-safety writing. The subject is typically a harmful substance (bacteria, chemicals, waste), and the object is something that people use or consume (water, food, soil, air, blood, equipment). Common in the passive: 'The area was contaminated with toxic waste.'

常見錯誤

❌The virus contaminated him after the bite.
✅The virus infected him after the bite.
💡'contaminate' usually applies to objects, substances, or environments (not living people or animals); use 'infect' for a living host that catches a disease.