DDT
noun
: a colorless odorless water-insoluble insecticide C14H9Cl5 that is an aromatic organochlorine banned in the U.S. that tends to accumulate and persist in ecosystems and has toxic effects on many vertebrates
Examples of DDT in a Sentence
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Beginning in the 1970s and ’80s, wealthy nations exported such unloved materials as asbestos and DDT to impoverished nations like Benin and Haiti, which were desperate to develop their economies yet rarely possessed facilities capable of properly disposing of toxic materials.
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Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
In one of the most successful conservation efforts in American history, the Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT in 1972, ruling that widespread use of the pesticide was crippling falcons’ — in addition to bald eagles’ — ability to reproduce.
—Chase Hunter, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
Bald eagles were among the first animals listed on the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and a coinciding ban on DDT allowed populations to start successfully reproducing again.
—Jamie Siebrase, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2025
Pesticide called 'new DDT' has been found in CT waterways.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2025
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Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
In one of the most successful conservation efforts in American history, the Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT in 1972, ruling that widespread use of the pesticide was crippling falcons’ — in addition to bald eagles’ — ability to reproduce.
—Chase Hunter, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
Bald eagles were among the first animals listed on the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and a coinciding ban on DDT allowed populations to start successfully reproducing again.
—Jamie Siebrase, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2025
Pesticide called 'new DDT' has been found in CT waterways.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for DDT
Cite this Entry
“DDT.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DDT. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
DDT
noun
: a colorless formerly used insecticide that is poisonous to many animals with backbones
Medical Definition
DDT
noun
: a colorless odorless water-insoluble crystalline insecticide C14H9Cl5 that tends to accumulate in ecosystems and has toxic effects on many vertebrates
called also chlorophenothane, dicophane
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