BIODEGRADE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does biodegrade mean? 

• BIODEGRADE (verb)
  The verb BIODEGRADE has 1 sense:

1. break down naturally through the action of biological agents

  Familiarity information: BIODEGRADE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BIODEGRADE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they biodegrade    ... he / she / it biodegrades   
Past simple: biodegraded   
Past participle: biodegraded   
-ing form: biodegrading   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Break down naturally through the action of biological agents

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

Plastic bottles do not biodegrade

Hypernyms (to "biodegrade" is one way to...):

decompose; molder; moulder; rot (break down)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

 Context examples 

"However," she adds, "we should not feel justified to dump polyethylene deliberately in our environment just because we now know how to biodegrade it."

(Plastic Eating Worm Could Help Ease Pollution, VOA)

We have found that the larva of a common insect, Galleria mellonella, is able to biodegrade one of the toughest, most resilient, and most used plastics: polyethylene, says Federica Bertocchini of the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria in Spain.

(Plastic Eating Worm Could Help Ease Pollution, VOA)