pollute

/pə'lu:t/
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Thân thiện
pollute

The factory's smokestacks pollute the clear sky.

Definition
  1. Verb:
    • To make something dirty, unclean, or impure, especially by adding harmful or poisonous substances.
    • To contaminate the natural environment, such as air, water, or land, with waste or harmful materials.
    • (Figurative) To corrupt or defile something pure, such as a person's mind, a culture, or an ideal.
Examples of Usage
  • Verb:
    • Factories that burn coal pollute the air with smoke and chemicals.
    • The river was polluted by the illegal dumping of industrial waste.
    • He argued that violent media can pollute young minds.
Advanced Usage
  • "to pollute something with something": To contaminate a specific thing using a specific substance.
    • The accident polluted the groundwater with toxic chemicals.
  • Passive Voice: Commonly used to describe the state of being contaminated.
    • The beach was polluted and unsafe for swimming.
Variants and Related Words
  • Pollutant (n): A substance that causes pollution.
    • Carbon dioxide is a major pollutant.
  • Pollution (n): The presence of harmful substances in the environment; the process of polluting.
    • Air pollution is a serious problem in many cities.
  • Polluter (n): A person, company, or country that causes pollution.
    • The factory was identified as the main polluter of the river.
Synonyms
  • Contaminate: To make something impure or unsafe by contact with something unclean.
  • Taint: To affect something with a bad or undesirable quality.
  • Defile: To make something dirty or no longer pure, often in a moral sense.
  • Foul: To make something dirty or blocked with waste or impurities.
Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Pollute" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. The action is typically expressed directly or with prepositions like "with.")

Related Idioms
  • "Fouling one's own nest": This idiom relates to the concept of polluting, meaning to harm one's own environment or interests.
    • By dumping waste into the local river, the company is fouling its own nest and harming the community it depends on.
pollute

The factory's smokestacks pollute the clear sky.

Verb
  1. make impure
    • The industrial wastes polluted the lake

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