contaminate

Universal Words verb [VN] 1 ~ sth (with sth) to make a substance or place dirty or no longer pure by adding a substance that is dangerous or carries disease: The drinking water has become contaminated with lead. * contaminated blood / food / soil * a river contaminated by radioactivity / pollution 2 (formal) to influence people's ideas or attitudes in a bad way: They were accused of contaminating the minds of our young people. seealsoUNCONTAMINATED contamination noun [U]: radioactive contamination