food poisoning

noun

: an acute gastrointestinal disorder caused by bacteria or their toxic products or by chemical residues in food

Examples of food poisoning in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Food safety For three decades, federal health officials tracked food poisoning infections caused by eight germs. —Mike Stobbe, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026

An ambulance had to come to Brooks Nader’s rescue when the model suffered food poisoning during a flight for her 29th birthday trip. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2026

What started as food poisoning for a young boy in Clinton Township, Michigan, turned into years of organ failure. —Alysia Burgio, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026

The Vermont native suffered from food poisoning, just about managing to battle it down enough to run in Saturday's downhill, before his beloved New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl on Sunday. —Nbc News, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

food poisoning

noun

: a digestive sickness caused by bacteria or by chemicals in food

Medical Definition

food poisoning

noun

1

: either of two acute gastrointestinal disorders caused by bacteria or their toxic products:

a

: a rapidly developing intoxication marked by nausea, vomiting, prostration, and often severe diarrhea and caused by the presence in food of toxic products produced by bacteria (as some staphylococci)

b

: a less rapidly developing infection especially with salmonellae that has generally similar symptoms and that results from multiplication of bacteria ingested with contaminated food

2

: a gastrointestinal disturbance occurring after consumption of food that is contaminated with chemical residues (as from sprays) or food (as some fungi) that is inherently unsuitable for human consumption