contaminate
verb C1
Plain meaning
make something dirty, polluted, or unsafe
Exam-register meaning
In academic or exam writing, this is used to discuss make something dirty, polluted, or unsafe in a more precise way.
In context
naturalThe team tried to contaminate water before the deadline.
examThe passage suggests that institutions may need to contaminate water in order to improve long-term outcomes.
Common collocations
contaminate watercontaminate foodcontaminated soil
Watch out
Do not pair it with a random object. Learn the full pattern, e.g., “contaminate water”. Also avoid confusing it with “pollute”.