adulterate
verb /əˈdʌltəreɪt/
/əˈdʌltəreɪt/
[often passive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they adulterate | /əˈdʌltəreɪt/ /əˈdʌltəreɪt/ |
| he / she / it adulterates | /əˈdʌltəreɪts/ /əˈdʌltəreɪts/ |
| past simple adulterated | /əˈdʌltəreɪtɪd/ /əˈdʌltəreɪtɪd/ |
| past participle adulterated | /əˈdʌltəreɪtɪd/ /əˈdʌltəreɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form adulterating | /əˈdʌltəreɪtɪŋ/ /əˈdʌltəreɪtɪŋ/ |
- to make food or drink less pure by adding another substance to it synonym contaminate
- be adulterated (with something) The water supply had been adulterated with chemicals from the soil.
Word Originearly 16th cent.: from Latin adulterat- ‘corrupted’, from the verb adulterare.