pollute

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Apart from climate concerns, strikes on energy infrastructure, oil tankers and military targets pollute the surrounding air and water and spread highly toxic chemicals far and wide, experts say.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

Beijing doesn’t have to worry if hazardous byproducts pollute rivers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

Fossil fuels pollute the air when they are extracted and when they are burned, but the steps between those two points involve far more than familiar scenes of drilling equipment and smoke-filled power plants.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2025

Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes it an offence to deposit or dispose of waste in a way likely to pollute land or water, including pouring liquids into street drains.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025

I won’t pollute my insides with Bluberridazzlepops or muffins or scritchscratchy shards of toast, either.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson