English > adulterate: 2 senses > verb 1, change| Meaning | Corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s something; Something ----s something |
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| Example | "adulterate liquor" |
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| Synonyms | load, stretch, dilute, debase |
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| Narrower | sophisticate, doctor, doctor up | Alter and make impure, as with the intention to deceive |
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| water down | Thin by adding water to |
| Broader | corrupt, spoil | Alter from the original |
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| Similar to | extend, stretch | increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance |
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| Spanish | adulterar, diluir |
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| Catalan | adulterar |
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| Adjectives | adulterant | making impure or corrupt by adding extraneous materials |
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| Nouns | adulterant, adulterator | any substance that lessens the purity or effectiveness of a substance |
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| adulterator | a changer who lessens the purity or effectiveness of a substance |
