death cap
noun
: a very poisonous mushroom (Amanita phalloides) of deciduous woods of North America and Europe that varies in color from pure white to olive or yellow and has a prominent volva at the base
called also death cup
Examples of death cap in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Initial symptoms — which tend to appear within six to 24 hours of ingesting a death cap — can include watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and dehydration, the state health department said.
—
Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
The California Department of Public Health is advising people to avoid picking and eating wild mushrooms during this high-risk season, as death cap mushrooms are abundant across the Northern California and the Central Coast regions.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Officials speculated that heavy rains this winter are producing more death cap mushrooms than normal, particularly in Northern California.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 14 Jan. 2026
The toxin in death cap mushrooms, called amatoxin, can damage the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract if ingested.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Wet weather, especially around hardwood trees like oaks and pines, creates optimal conditions for deadly mushrooms such as the death cap to proliferate.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The announcement detailed how local hospitals had reported an increase in cases of people eating poisonous wild mushrooms—which varieties like the death angel, death cap and fly amanita grow in California in fall, late winter and spring.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
However, unlike death cap mushrooms and destroying angels, many of the toxins found in Amanita muscaria are water-soluble and can be removed by parboiling them prior to cooking or by other means.
—Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
During her 10-week trial, the jury heard that Patterson had seen the location of the death cap mushrooms posted on a citizen science website.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
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Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
The California Department of Public Health is advising people to avoid picking and eating wild mushrooms during this high-risk season, as death cap mushrooms are abundant across the Northern California and the Central Coast regions.
—Noe Padilla, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Officials speculated that heavy rains this winter are producing more death cap mushrooms than normal, particularly in Northern California.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 14 Jan. 2026
The toxin in death cap mushrooms, called amatoxin, can damage the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract if ingested.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Wet weather, especially around hardwood trees like oaks and pines, creates optimal conditions for deadly mushrooms such as the death cap to proliferate.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
The announcement detailed how local hospitals had reported an increase in cases of people eating poisonous wild mushrooms—which varieties like the death angel, death cap and fly amanita grow in California in fall, late winter and spring.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
However, unlike death cap mushrooms and destroying angels, many of the toxins found in Amanita muscaria are water-soluble and can be removed by parboiling them prior to cooking or by other means.
—Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
During her 10-week trial, the jury heard that Patterson had seen the location of the death cap mushrooms posted on a citizen science website.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Death cap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20cap. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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