EnglishLearner.com
  • Dictionary
  • List of exercises
  • Exercises by level
    • Beginner exercises
    • Intermediate exercises
    • Advanced exercises
  • Dictionary
  • List of exercises
  • Exercises by level+
    • Beginner exercises
    • Intermediate exercises
    • Advanced exercises

Meaning of pollution in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  1. Pronunciation

    /pəˈluʃ(ə)n/

    US accent Play buttonYour browser does not support the audio element.

    How to pronounce pollution in American English, in context ▾
    Use the controls below Controls button to browse different examples of pronunciation.

    UK accent Play buttonYour browser does not support the audio element.

    How to pronounce pollution in British English, in context ▾
    Use the controls below Controls button to browse different examples of pronunciation.
  1. Noun

    pollution

    Etymology

    late Middle English: from Latin pollutio(n-), from the verb polluere (see pollute)

    Definitions

    1. undesirable state of the natural environment being contaminated with harmful substances as a consequence of human activities

    Derived terms

    • contaminate
    • foul
    • pollute
  2. 2. the state of being polluted

    Derived terms

    • befoul
    • contaminate
    • defile
    • foul
    • maculate
    • pollute
  3. 3. the act of contaminating or polluting

    Examples

    • « including (either intentionally or accidentally) unwanted substances or factors »

    Antonyms

    • decontamination

    Derived terms

    • contaminate
    • foul
    • pollute

Famous quotes

  • « Environmental pollution is an incurable disease. It can only be prevented. »
    Barry Commoner
  • « The flood of money that gushes into politics today is a pollution of democracy. »
    Theodore White
  • « Australia is the only island continent on the planet, which means that changes caused by planet-warming pollution - warmer seas, which can drive stronger storms, and more acidic oceans, which wreak havoc on the food chain - are even more deadly here. »
    Jeff Goodell
  • « I would like nuclear fusion to become a practical power source. It would provide an inexhaustible supply of energy, without pollution or global warming. »
    Stephen Hawking
  • « The biggest tab the public picks up for fossil fuels has to do with what economists call 'external costs,' like the health effects of air and water pollution. »
    Jeff Goodell

Browse dictionary

  • polluter
  • polluted
  • pollute
  • pollutant
  • pollution
  • Pollux
  • pollyannaish
  • pollyfish
  • pollywog
Copyright © EnglishLearner.com 1998-2021