neurotoxin
noun
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The nervous system is almost all-powerful in the body: all five senses depend on it, as do breathing, digestion, and the heart. So it's an obvious target for poisons, and neurotoxins have developed as weapons in many animals, including snakes, bees, and spiders. Some wasps use a neurotoxin to paralyze their prey so that it can be stored alive to be eaten later. Snake venom is often neurotoxic (as in cobras and coral snakes, for example), though it may instead be hemotoxic (as in rattlesnakes and coppermouths), operating on the circulatory system. Artificial neurotoxins, called nerve agents, have been developed by scientists as means of chemical warfare; luckily, few have ever been used.
Examples of neurotoxin in a Sentence
Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
This includes tau and amyloid beta, the neurotoxins associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
In the United States, spiders that are dangerous to people include the brown recluse, which carries a necrotic toxin that destroys tissue, and the black widow, which has a special neurotoxin that damages nerve cells.
—Matthew Cordes, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards were created in 2012 to restrict pollution from coal and oil-fired power plants – namely mercury, a neurotoxin that can cause brain and nervous system damage.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Neurotoxin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neurotoxin. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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neurotoxin
noun
