fumigate

verb

fu·​mi·​gate ˈfyü-mə-ˌgāt How to pronounce fumigate (audio)
fumigated; fumigating

transitive verb

: to apply smoke, vapor, or gas to especially for the purpose of disinfecting or of destroying pests
fumigation noun
fumigator noun

Examples of fumigate in a Sentence

All the hospital rooms had to be fumigated. We had to fumigate our apartment to get rid of the ants.
Recent Examples on the Web After the building was fumigated, exterminators found 1,270 dead mice, the DOJ said. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 The chrysanthemums would be kept on hold until the agency decided what action, if any, to take, such as fumigating the shipment, returning it to the farm or destroying it. Patricia Mazzei Scott McIntyre, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2024 The meetings come on the heels of various medical teams also traveling to the country's northern region to bolster health staffing as well as the military fumigating homes in the regions of Piura, Castile, Chulucanas, and Sullana. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 12 June 2023 Exterminators were then called in to fumigate. Curbed, 9 June 2022 Benjamin Chapman, an author on the study who also leads the department of agricultural and human sciences at North Carolina State University, told The Washington Post that people don’t need to freak out and fumigate their spice drawers. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 18 Jan. 2023 Lice cannot survive without a host for more than a day, so there is no need to fumigate and risk exposure to dangerous chemicals. Bill Sullivan, Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2021 Although you may be tempted to rush out and fumigate your home, the majority of the arthropods found pose no danger to humans, and many escape our notice completely, the researchers say. Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2016 Surely global-health officials will be more inclined to fumigate the discourse with another odorless, colorless gas of pseudowords and digits—something in the lifeless spirit of COVID-19. Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fumigate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin fūmigātus, past participle of fūmigāre "to subject to smoke, get rid of with smoke," from fūmus "smoke" + -igāre, causative suffix, probably generalized from rēmigāre "to use oars, row," verbal derivative of rēmig-, rēmex "oarsman, rower," from rēmus "oar" + -ig-, -ex, agent noun derivative from the base of agere "to be in motion, do, perform" — more at fume entry 1, agent

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fumigate was in 1746

Dictionary Entries Near fumigate

Cite this Entry

“Fumigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fumigate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fumigate

verb
fu·​mi·​gate ˈfyü-mə-ˌgāt How to pronounce fumigate (audio)
fumigated; fumigating
: to apply smoke, vapor, or gas to especially for the purpose of disinfecting or of destroying pests
fumigation noun
fumigator noun

Medical Definition

fumigate

transitive verb
fu·​mi·​gate ˈfyü-mə-ˌgāt How to pronounce fumigate (audio)
fumigated; fumigating
: to apply smoke, vapor, or gas to especially for the purpose of disinfecting or of destroying pests
fumigation noun
fumigator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fumigate

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