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# contamination

noun (contamination, uncountable)

«contamination» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. The state of being made dirty, impure or harmful by something unwanted (water contamination). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#m1)
2. The act or process of contaminating something. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#m2)
3. (science) Unwanted material spoiling a sample or experiment. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#m3)

### In the lessons

In health, science and news, contamination of water, food or air can make people ill; «cross-contamination» in kitchens spreads germs from raw to cooked food. In environment lessons, radioactive or chemical contamination can last a long time. It tells the reader there is something harmful where it shouldn't be.

### Examples

- The water company found contamination in the reservoir. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#x1)
- Cross-contamination happens when raw meat touches cooked food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#x2)
- Food labels warn about contamination with nuts. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#x3)
- Scientists wear gloves to avoid contamination. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#x4)
- Radioactive contamination stayed near Chernobyl for many years. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#x5)
- The beach was closed because of sewage contamination. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/#x6)

### Note

Uncountable: no «a», no plural. Verb: contaminate. «Cross-contamination» is an important food-safety word: allergens (like nuts) can also cross-contaminate food, which is dangerous for people with allergies.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «contamination» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contamination/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«contamination» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/contamination.html) on Mova free.