pollute
pronunciation
How to pronounce pollute in British English:
UK [pəˈluːt]
How to pronounce pollute in American English:
US [pəˈluːt]
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- Verb:
- make impure
Word Origin
- pollute (v.)
- late 14c., "to defile," a back formation from pollution, or else from Latin pollutus, past participle of polluere "to defile, pollute, contaminate." Related: Polluted; polluting. Meaning "make physically foul" is from 1540s; specific sense "contaminate the environment" emerged from late 19c.
Example
- 1. We love the sea , yet we pollute it .
- 2. But when they begin to pollute our cultural treasure and their nemesis I get angry .
- 3. Did it pollute the environment ?
- 4. As developing countries get richer , they tend to pollute less .
- 5. Two huge cement factories that dominate the view around the bay pollute the water .