noun · neutral
pollution
/pəˈluːʃən/po·LU·tion
Band 4-5task2speaking
the presence of harmful substances in the environment (air, water, soil)
Examples
“Air pollution causes serious health problems in large cities.”
“Factories were fined for polluting the river.”
“Reducing pollution is a priority for the local government.”
Band 8 sentence
“Long‑term exposure to urban pollution has been linked to increased rates of respiratory disease.”
Collocations
- air pollution
- reduce pollution
- environmental pollution
Word family
pollution nounpollute verbpolluted adjective
Common mistakes
There are many pollutions in the city.→There is a lot of pollution in the city.
The factory pollutes water badly.→The factory polluted the river.
Say it for a higher band
5dirt→6contamination→7+pollution
Synonyms
contamination
smog
Easily confused
smog
“Thick smog made it hard to breathe in the city last winter.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In City & Urban life
Learn it with its set